Leap of Faith
by SOAWWE
Summary: Growing up, Ana had been Ezekiel Reyes' best friend since she could remember. She was also the apple of his big brother Angel's eye for almost as long. With EZ out of prison, Ana finds herself pulled back into the lives of the Reyes' brothers and looking at Angel in a new light. But will she accept his MC life, especially when he pulls EZ into it? Angel/OC. Possible trilogy
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's note: Hi guys! So after absolutely falling in love with Angel in the show, I've decided to write a story around him! Now of course I own none of the character's except for Ana and any other unknown one's you come across in this story. But of course, it is all based on the wonderful world of Mayans MC._**

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"Bro I'm so happy you're finally out. I thought this day would never come man," Angel said to his brother as they walk over to his car and away from Stockton State Pen, the place EZ had reluctantly called home for the last 8 years.

"Heh, you and me both Angel. I can't wait to have a proper fucking meal… and to see Pops. How's he been Angel? I mean he visits and acts like everything's fine but for real. How is he?" EZ asks his brother, knowing both his dad and big brother have kept much of their problems away from him while he's been inside.

"He's been as good as he can be with one of his sons in prison and the other in an MC", Angel responded, chuckling as he puts his cigarette out before getting in the driver's seat.

Starting the car, Angel takes a rare moment to be serious and level with EZ, "Listen bro, honestly? It hasn't been easy for pops, and it's not like he really talks to me much bout anything serious you know? The most I see him talk is when Ana is over visiting."

Ahh Ana, EZ's best friend from high school and the girl Angel had been pining over since she turned 16. "How is our girl?" EZ asked with a smirk, trying to figure out Angel's reaction. While Ana still visited EZ at least twice a month, and sent him letters even more often, EZ wasn't sure how close the two were now that he wasn't there as the middle man.

Before he went in he asked Angel to look out for her, but he also asked Ana to make sure Angel didn't go off the rails. Telling EZ Angel was now part of the Mayans was the hardest thing Ana ever had to do and from what EZ could gather, her and Angel weren't on the best of terms after that.

At the mention of her name Angel immediately stiffens, trying to act like she had no effect on him. "Yeah man, she's alright. I mean I think? Doesn't really talk to me unless she comes over to visit Dad. He still loves her though of course. You didn't hear it from me but they're currently both at home waiting for you," he said, chuckling.

"What the fuck man? I told you not to tell them? I wanted it to be a surprise, I still wasn't even sure it was gonna happen!" EZ responds angrily, while Angel has no idea, his probation truly was up in the air right up until the moment he walked out the gates but what Angel doesn't know won't hurt him.

"Fuck man I know okay! But damn Dad heard me talking to you on the phone and then after that there's no way he was gonna keep quiet. And I mean really, could you imagine rocking up back home and trying to surprise Ana? She'd skin us both!" Angel snarked back, lightly smacking EZ up the back of his head, as if he was stupid.

Chuckling, EZ and Angel spent the rest of the ride home bickering about what EZ should expect now that he was back in Santo Pedro. For the first time in eight years, Ezekiel Reyes was happy. He was home, on his way to see his family and finally have some sort of a life again.

Before he knew it, Angel was turning into the driveway of his childhood home and they were both out of the car, practically running inside.

Felipe Reyes greeted his two sons at the door, barely able to contain the tears in his eyes at the site of his youngest back home after almost a decade. A usually stoic man, Felipe completely broke down when EZ grabbed him for a hug, his boy was finally home.

Walking inside, EZ could hear the sound of dishes being placed on a table and the smell of chocolate wafting through the air. He knew instantly Ana was in the kitchen baking desserts, sweets were definitely her specialty.

Walking into the kitchen, EZ saw her standing over the kitchen bench trying to grab all the cutlery and cups in one go.

"Here Ana let me help you with that," EZ opened with, walking up to her and grabbing the dishes from her hand before Ana even registered he was standing in front of her. That was all it took for her to break down in tears and leap into his arms, completely forgetting she had yet to set the table.

It felt like forever that they were just standing there, EZ being practically strangled from Ana's hugs as she sobbed.

"All right, all right let's break it up. I'm hungry!" Angel interrupted, eliciting a chuckle from his father who had tears running down his cheek. Ana, annoyed at the older Reyes brother for ruining a sweet moment only glared at the man whose attention she'd had for the last 12 years.

"Ha ha Angel," she said, throwing a dish rag at him as she finished setting the table, with EZ and Angel helping. Finally, ready to eat, Felipe Reyes sat down at the head of the table with his two sons sitting down on either side of him and the girl he loved like a daughter. It was the first family dinner he'd had in a long time.

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 ** _Author's note: And that's chapter 1! Please let me know what you all think, I'm hoping to update this story as often as possible but I'd be more inclined to do so if I had enough reviews letting me know what you thought/if you want more._**

 ** _Thanks guys :)_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Wow! Thank you guys so so much for such an awesome response to the first chapter. So glad you guys liked it! This one is a longer one and introducing a bit of a backstory. I just want everyone to know this story is going to follow the show where it can but some things will definitely be changed.**

 **And a heads up: it's going to be a slow burn ;)**

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It had now been a full two days since EZ was back in the real world, and it still hadn't hit Ana completely that her best friend was finally back in her life.

While she'd spent a lot of the past two days catching up with EZ when she wasn't managing her bar, Ana had the night off tonight and EZ suggested they go out for some dinner with Angel. Realising she only had an hour and a half until the brothers picked her up, Ana headed to the shower.

Rinsing off the sweat and dirt from the day, Ana found herself reminiscing about the first time she met EZ and how much of an impact his friendship had on her.

Growing up, there were really only two people she truly trusted: EZ and Angel, though she'd never tell the latter that, she wouldn't be able to deal with ego.

With her mother dying during childbirth and an absentee drunk of a father who only kept her around for welfare payments, Ana was used to relying on herself. But when she met EZ in the eighth grade something changed. He had the life she wanted and seeing her broken family, EZ wasted no time in inviting her over for family dinner to escape her crappy home and EZ's parents adored Ana, treating her like the daughter they never had instantly. And Angel?

Well Angel thought of her as nothing more than a kid like his little brother, at the time he was too cool to pay her any attention. But when she turned 16 and puberty hit, a 20-year-old Angel's interest was sparked and he started playfully flirting with her. But it wasn't until she got older and grew even more into her looks that Angel realised there was something more to Ana. He watched her grow from a girl to a woman, developing a snarky attitude and resilience unlike anyone he'd ever known.

Not to mention Ana was the one girl who never fell for Angel's bad boy charm and good looks, and it bothered him to know the one girl he actually wanted not only didn't want him, but didn't even consider him.

While Angel and Ana grew apart since EZ had been in prison, she was prepared to be seeing a lot more of the outlaw biker now that his little brother was out and she wasn't sure how to feel about that. While Angel could get on her nerves with his incessant flirting, stubbornness and sometimes outright stupidity, he was also one of her favourite people.

But her relationship with Angel changed once he joined the Mayans, while she understood his reasons, she always had the sinking feeling Angel got himself into something he won't ever be able to get out of. Act first and think later, that was Angel. She just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite him.

Ana was so deep in thought she hadn't even heard the door to her house – and the door to her bathroom – open. It took two strong hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her towards a hard and naked body to come back to reality.

Snapping out of it, Ana turned into her boyfriend Mark's arms, surprised he was home early as she was expecting him to be working late.

"Well this is a nice surprise," Ana beamed, looking up at her love, with her dark brown eyes meeting his sparkling blue.

"Hmm I know, we made a break in the case and my boss said I could head off early since I've been practically living at the office lately. Was gonna call but I thought I'd be able to beat you home," Mark replied, bending down and giving Ana a deep kiss under the water, one hand in her dark hair while the other kept her small but curvy body against his.

Breaking away from the kiss, Ana couldn't wipe the smile off her face. With Mark quickly moving up the ranks at his law firm, she hadn't seen much of him the past few days despite living together and she had missed him. She also hadn't introduced him to EZ yet because she didn't know when there'd ever be a time and she was thinking tonight might finally be the night.

Ana had met Mark during college, she was studying teaching, something she never actually went into but the only thing she thought she'd be remotely good at. Mark was studying law of course, and the moment they met she knew he'd either break her heart or have it forever.

Mark looked like something straight out of a movie to Ana, his broad shoulders, dirty blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes captivating her instantly. On the other end, Mark didn't know what to make of Ana. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. She had an olive skin tone and almost jet-black hair, a mix of features from her Argentinian mom and Irish father. She was about 5'7 and petite but with curves in all the right places. Mark towered over her with his 6'1 frame.

He was the most charming guy she'd ever met, to her it seemed like everything he did was effortless. He introduced himself to her at a dorm party after having seen each other around campus for weeks, neither having enough courage to say something until there was alcohol involved. Their relationship moved at lightning speed, saying 'I love you' within only 2 months of dating. Mark made Ana feel like a teenager again, which made sense considering he was her first and only love.

Still engulfed in a deep makeout session in the shower, Ana pulled away from Mark long enough to ask him what he was planning for the night.

"…I thought it was obvious?" Mark responded, a sly grin on his face as he grabbed her bare ass.

Feeling her cheeks turn red, Ana had to push her head back to avoid another kiss because she was dangerously close to cancelling her plans now.

"Well… how about we put that thought on hold… because I have plans to drinks with EZ and Angel and I'd love for you to finally meet EZ…" Ana said somewhat wearily, while Mark would do anything for her and she knew it, he didn't exactly get along with Angel and she knew he'd need a bit of convincing.

At the mention of Angel's name, Mark immediately deflated. While he knew his girlfriend wasn't interested in the biker, he knew the feeling wasn't mutual. He'd seen the way Angel looked and treated Ana and he didn't like it. But he knew how important the Reyes brothers were to her, and if hanging out with them was where she was tonight than that's where he was too. He'd just have to keep an eye on the older one.

"Well…. I won't deny I wish we were just spending tonight in, but I'm not going to pretend like I don't know how big a deal meeting the famous EZ is," Mark began, "Sure, I'll come. Even if it means hanging out with Angel." Mark finished, adding a slight hint of frustration to his voice that did not go unnoticed.

"Ugh, seriously babe you and Angel need to sort your shit out. I don't get what the problem is. Like okay, he's in an MC and you're a lawyer but COME ON," Ana said, pulling away from Mark for good as she stepped out from the shower and wrapped a towel around herself.

"He's one of my oldest friends and sure he's a pain but….just…. please?" She pleaded with her boyfriend, unsure at this point what she was even asking him, all she knew was she was over hearing about Angel's supposed feelings for her from anyone who knew them both.

"The problem babe, is that he is clearly in love with you and despises me because I have what he wants," Mark replied while washing his hair.

With her hand on her hips, Ana glared back at her boyfriend, "Have? Babe, I love you. But I'm not your property so let's cool it with the territorial terminology k? And plus Angel isn't in love with me... he's just a flirt!"

"Oh you know that isn't how I meant it… but okay I'm sorry…. Now get back in here!" Mark said playfully, wanting to finish what he started.

Giggling, Ana ran to the bathroom door and into the hallway. "Nope, we have a half hour till they're here! I have to get ready. Don't take long babe!"

* * *

Right on schedule, Ana zipping up her heeled boots when she heard Angel's car pull up in the driveway. With Mark still getting ready she ran downstairs to answer the door and let them know about the slight change of plans.

Opening the door before they had a chance to knock on it, EZ and Angel stood in front of her expectantly.

"Yo, we ready to jet?" Angel asked, taking in the sight of Ana. She was only wearing simple black jeans and a long-sleeve white shirt, but her long curly dark hair was pulled halfway up with the rest falling around her face and he swore she looked like the angel. She took his breath away, and EZ couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's face.

He also couldn't believe Ana was still clueless as to her effect on Angel, or maybe she just chose to ignore it he thought.

"Um just a minute… slight change of plans…" Ana began, sending a sweet smile to the brothers way before she continued. "So… turns out Mark got off early tonight and he's home! So, I thought it would be nice for him to come and EZ you guys could finally meet!" Ana rattled off quickly, hoping he wasn't mad.

Slightly taken aback, EZ wasn't sure how to respond. He knew about Mark and wanted to meet him, he just didn't think Angel would be there when he did.

"Nah don't be silly dude! Of course, he can come, right Angel?" EZ responded, turning his head to his brother, who was leaning against the door staring at Ana, barely hiding that he was checking her out.

"Yeah man whatever, Marky Mark can come," Angel replied nonchalantly, but in his head, he was not looking forward to the lawyer's presence at all. Every time he'd seen the guy he'd been practically on top of Ana, marking his territory and he suspected tonight would be no different.

As if on cue, Mark came charging down the stairs before meeting the other three at the door. EZ put his hand out instantly, excited to meet his best friend's boyfriend. "Hey man, EZ good to meet you."

"Hey man you too, I've heard a lot about you over the last few years. Ana's really missed having you around. Congrats on finally being home." Mark replied, he already liked the vibe of EZ, Ana was right he just radiated goodness.

Angel on the other hand, seemed less than impressed to see Mark, simply nodding at him as a form of hello, the older Reyes brother was quick to cut the chat short.

"Come on let's go, I need a drink," Angel said, leading EZ back to his car while Ana and Mark got into hers.

"We're going to dinner bro?" EZ responded, with Angel simply death staring him in return.

Sending Ana a smirk and roll of the eyes before getting into the car, EZ knew his brother was going to be a handful tonight.

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 **Author's note: Okay lovelies, that's chapter 2 done! Please please please continue to read and review. I got this chapter up much earlier than expected because you guys are so great with reviewing and letting me know if you like it and what you're hoping for. So please keep up with that!**

 **The more you review the more I update :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note - Thanks so much for your guys continued support and reviews! This chapter is a long one and is when the story really starts to kick into things. So please read and review and I promise to update ASAP :)**

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As Ana and Mark sat on one side of the booth, with EZ and Angel on the other, Ana was happy to find the dinner was shaping up to be a relatively normal one.

Sure, Angel was quick to throw in as many snarky comments directed towards Mark as possible (what else is new), but EZ and Mark were getting on really well… that is until EZ let the couple know what his plans were now that he was back home and Ana was less than impressed.

"So EZ, now that you're back home, what're you planning on doing?" Mark asked once their food was out.

After staring at Ana and Mark hesitantly, EZ looked at Angel before responding, his older brother giving him a nod as he put his fork down.

"Well… now that you mention it…heh" EZ chuckled as he looked down at his food, whatever he was about to say Ana knew she wasn't going to like it. EZ pulled the collar of his shirt down, as if he was feeling hot despite it being freezing, before continuing.

"I'm actually going to start prospecting for the MC," EZ finally admitted, with Angel clapping him on the back before adding, "Yeaaah, my hermanito is gonna be in the MC with me," he said, pulling EZ into a headlock as if they were kids again.

Ana, in a mixed state of shock and anger was at a loss for words. EZ could tell by the look on her face that she was ready to slap him the first chance he got, and he wasn't surprised. The only person he was more scared of telling about the MC than Ana was his pops.

"Ana… I know what you're gonna say…" He began but was cut off just as fast.

"Oh do you now Ezekiel?" Ana said while EZ tried to avoid making eye contact, he was not ready to be ripped a new one.

"Oooh full name, that's when you know you're in trouble bro," Angel chuckled, drawing Ana's attention to him.

"What the fuck Angel?! You're gonna fucking sponsor him? EZ you JUST got out of prison! Early! From a 20 year goddamn sentence, you have your life back! Why the hell are you going to do something as reckless as joining the MC?" Ana asked, running her hands through her hair to keep from strangling the brothers sitting in front of her.

"Ana, babe maybe now isn't the time…" Mark cut in as he laid a hand on Ana's shoulder, noticing the look on Angel's face as Ana began questioning EZ. As much as he knew Angel loved Ana, her disapproval of the club had always caused friction between them.

In fact, Mark was pretty certain that if Ana actually had a taste for the dangerous lifestyle, her and Angel's relationship would be very different.

"No no Marky Mark let her talk," Angel cut in, "Come on Ana, you were saying? You don't want EZ to throw his life away like I did right? Follow in his dumb big bro's footsteps?" Angel questioned, irritated at Ana's reaction.

"That is not what I said Angel," Ana bit back, nudging Mark's arm off her shoulder as he tried calming her down. She knew how EZ felt about the club, at least she thought she did and he never let on he wanted to prospect. This was all Angel.

"But it's what you meant… you think EZ is too good for this life." Angel stated.

"I think EZ has never once mentioned nor THOUGHT about prospecting for the MC. And for whatever fucking reason he thinks now is the perfect time to do it," Ana said before turning her attention away from Angel and back to EZ, who remained silent throughout the entire exchange.

"EZ…seriously where is this coming from? You've got to know that joining the Mayans isn't the only thing you can do now that you're out? I mean have you even told your dad?"

Taking a moment before answering, EZ took a deep breath as he reached over the table to grab Ana's hands in his own. "Ana, I get what you're saying but trust me… I've thought a lot about this okay. I mean, what else is there for an ex-con like me to do? And the MC isn't bad! It's a family, look at Angel? I know the risks but I want to be a part of something bigger than just myself. And I don't want to work some 9 to 5, I know what I'm doing Ana. You can't change my mind so you're just gonna have to accept it." EZ explained firmly, now looking Ana directly in the eyes.

Ana didn't know how to respond, this had come out of nowhere for her. Stupidly, she always imagined EZ would come out of prison and just straight back into his normal life – well as much as he could. Sure, Emily was married now and he was no longer a football star, but he was EZ and he was not meant for an MC life. The things he's going to have to do for the club, he just isn't built for that. But for the first time, Ana started to see that the EZ that went into prison may not be the EZ in front of her now.

Clearing her throat, Ana brought her right hand up to EZ's cheek.

"Okay EZ, fine. If you think this is the right move then I'll support you," she paused, turning to look at Angel "And at least now there's someone to watch over Angel and make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid, right?" Ana finished, an unspoken memory being shared between Ana and Angel of his first year as a member of the club eliciting a warm smile from the older Reyes.

Ana pulled back into Mark who was silent throughout the entire exchange. He'd never seen Ana feel so passionately about something before, he realised just how deep her bond with the brothers was and that there was a lot he didn't know. Part of him was jealous, of the fact that they knew her in a way that he perhaps never will.

Cutting the sweet but intense moment short, Mark felt the need to make his presence felt and share some news of his own with the two brothers. "Well I'm glad that's sorted now especially since it seems like Ana hasn't told you guys about our plans yet!"

"Plans? What plans?" Angel spoke up now, sitting up straight next to EZ.

Ana, on the other hand was not ready to share what Mark was talking about, especially since nothing was set in stone. "Babe… we talked about this, not yet," she said firmly, picking at her food now.

"What is it Ana?" EZ asked curiously. In the two days he'd been back they'd spent so much time talking about him, he didn't even think to really ask Ana if there was anything new with her since the last time she'd visited him in Stockton.

"Well! We might be moving at the end of this year!" Mark shared, elated at the prospect of finally leaving Santo Padre.

Feeling like he'd been hit by a truck, Angel looked at Ana for confirmation, "Excuse me? When the fuck did this happen?"

"It didn't…and it hasn't." Ana began. "It's just, Mark may be getting a move up to the US Attorney's office in DC…"

"DC?!" EZ interrupted.

Ana dropped her fork and held her hands up in defence, " _'Might'_ okay? And if he does… I don't know. This all came up before you got out and I just, circumstances have changed and I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure. So for now… it's just a possibility okay?" Ana finished, looking between Angel and EZ, who were both in a state of shock.

"Well um… I can't say that I'm gonna want you to leave Ana but if its what you want then I get it," EZ began, he had just gotten out and wasn't ready to see his best friend off to another state but he wasn't about to stand in her way.

Touched by his response, Ana felt like grabbing her best friend in a tight hug. "EZ…. It isn't set in stone okay. I've got too much here to take it lightly right? I love my job, I have you guys…" she said before being interrupted.

"Yeah but you can work in a bar anywhere babe, and the guys could visit, we could still visit," Mark said, determined to have things go to his plan.

"Oh it's just that simple for you Mark is it? You may not have family or a life here outside of Ana but she does," Angel cut in, livid at the idea of Mark taking Ana away and insinuating it would be so easy for her to just leave.

"Guys, lets just calm down okay… babe why don't you go order a round of beers at the bar okay?" Ana said to Mark, wanting to get him away from a seething Angel. Noticing she wanted to speak to her brother alone, EZ took the opportunity to leave as well, "Hey man, I'll help let's go," he said, exiting one side of the booth as Mark exiting the other, the two men walking over to the bar together.

Now, Angel and Ana were alone for the first time in months. Staring across the table from one another, Ana was the first to speak.

"Angel, I need you to calm down -" she said, leaning forward.

"Ana what the fuck?" Angel bit back instantly, leaning forward with her, their heads only a few inches apart.

"EZ has just got out and you wanna up and leave? With _him?!_ Like come on, I never took you for the kind of girl to leave her life to follow some shmuck around."

"Angel I haven't decided anything, it's just on the table at the moment. And I love him, he's my boyfriend and this is the sort of sacrifice you make for the ones you love," she said poignantly.

"Even if it's not what you want?" Angel asked, leaning back into his seat, his arm draped over the back of his chair, his Mayans tattoo peeking out of his cut.

"I don't know what I want okay! All I know right now is that Mark has been making some really great leaps at work and he's getting noticed now by higher ups okay? Who am I to stand in the way of his career?" Ana answered, not knowing what else there was to say.

"But what about you? You know ever since you two have been together you're the one making all the sacrifices, you've put your entire life on hold because he needed to work on his career and needed your support and shit but what about you? You can't say that you're happy anymore, you're just comfortable."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Ana bit back, Angel was beginning to hit too close to home when all she wanted was a night out with her favourite people.

"Nuh-uh I think I fucking do. You see you like to ignore the fact that I know you JUST as well as my little brother does, maybe more since he's been inside. I remember you wanting to teach, wanting to give kids the help you never had, open up your own tutoring business, maybe go into social services. Make. A. Goddamn. Difference. Now? Now you're gonna just follow some guy anywhere he fucking goes. You're not that girl Ana," Angel spit out.

Ana at a loss for words, was numb. She sat silent in her seat, avoiding eye contact with Angel because as much as she hated to admit it, there was a lot of truth to his words and her anger was at an all-time high.

She was angry at EZ for thinking prospecting was the only option, angry at Angel for inserting himself into her life. But most of all she was angry at Mark, for voicing something they'd only been treating as hypothetical as if it were a sure thing.

* * *

Back at the bar, EZ and Mark were waiting in line to grab drinks in mutual silence, neither knowing what to say to each other until Mark couldn't handle the awkwardness any longer.

"So, you managed to make Angel think you joining the MC was his idea huh?" Mark said in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, I did. Though I gotta say you failed to mention that this little deal you offered me up would score you a move to DC?" EZ bit back, annoyed that his freedom possibly meant Ana would be leaving California.

"Well hey did you really think there wasn't anything in it for me? What you figured I just thought up this deal for your benefit only?" Mark replied back sarcastically as he finally ordered drinks for the four of them.

"And here I was just thinking you wanted to help take down the Galindo cartel and make Santo Padre a better place?" EZ said, the time for playing coy was now over. EZ was less than impressed that Mark's motives for helping orchestrate a deal for EZ to get out of Stockton early came at a price.

"Hey man of course I do... but I saw an opportunity, and I took it. Plus I was just the one to voice this idea, the rest of it came from people higher up than me and if it works the way it should, provided of course you don't fuck up everything is gonna be just fine," Mark said with a smile, clapping EZ on the back before heading back to the table with their drinks and a livid EZ following.

* * *

Back at the table Ana and Angel were sitting in silence, Ana avoiding eye contact while Angel stared straight at her, waiting for her to say something. When EZ and Mark sat back down she wasted no time in announcing their departure, not wanting to spend another second in public.

"Well guys, this has been REAL fun," Ana opened, the sarcasm loud and clear, "But I'm calling it a night. I've got things to do tomorrow before my shift at El Toro and I no longer feel like eating."

"Ana, please don't go," EZ pleaded, standing up with her.

"EZ I'm fine, I just need to get home. Mark let's go." Ana said, not even looking at the brothers across from her.

As Mark slid out of the booth with her, EZ stopped Ana to give her a hug and whisper an apology in her ear. As angry as she was, Ana hugged her best friend back with all her might, looking over her shoulder to see Angel staring back at her.

She couldn't tell what Angel was thinking in that moment, but she gave him a slight nod goodbye. As harsh as he had been with her earlier, she couldn't deny that Angel was right. Ever since she found out about Mark's possible job offer, she had been avoiding Angel. Because she knew he would be the one person, even more than EZ who would make her question whether following Mark to DC was the right move to make.

As Ana and Mark walked out of the restaurant, EZ immediately turned to Angel, "What the fuck did you say to her?!"

* * *

Once Ana walked through the door, she began taking her shoes off and walked into the kitchen. Mark entered soon after and went to pull her into a hug but she was quick to dodge him.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked, confused.

"What's wrong?", Ana asked mockingly, "What's wrong is that at dinner you went completely fucking rogue and decided to go and tell the guys about something we haven't even decided on yet." Ana answered, now that she was home she was ready to fight.

"Babe, come on. I didn't think it was that big a deal okay? I mean we've talked about it a fair bit and I thought since we were sharing and everything -"

"No! Here's what actually happened Mark. You ruined what was supposed to be a great night by telling two of the people who mean the MOST to me that I may be moving. That I may be abandoning EZ when he JUST got out. That was not yours to tell, especially since we haven't actually decided yet. This is my life that we are talking about. You may be happy to move the minute that job comes up but you know what Mark, I've got a lot here that I don't want to leave," Ana spilled out, finally admitting what she'd been hiding for months now.

"Like what? Your job? You're a bartender Ana you'll be fine anywhere and you don't speak to your dad so if it's just EZ you can visit and - "

"Don't do that, don't you dare diminish the life I have simply because you don't have the same connections to this place that I do. Por el amor de dios, ¿no piensas en alguien más?" Ana practically screamed back, tears now forming in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, she knew Mark loved her and only wanted her to come with him to DC but this was not the way to go about it.

"Oh seriously now you're gonna start yelling in Spanish?" Mark bit back, knowing Ana was really angry now.

"Well I'm sorry Ana but I just don't get it! Like the only thing tying me to this place is YOU. Okay? If you told me tomorrow that you wanted to move across the WORLD I would follow you. But you? Why is leaving this fucking place so difficult? What the hell is keeping you here?" Mark said, trying to walk towards Ana who only moved back into the hallway.

"You know what Mark I am done talking about this for tonight okay? I am absolutely exhausted by this entire conversation. I feel like I haven't even had my voice heard all I've had is you and Angel tell me what I should or shouldn't do when all I wanted was to have a nice fucking meal!" Ana yelled, her hands now bundled up in her hair from irritation.

"I'm going to bed, and you know what I think you should sleep on the couch tonight," Ana continued, glaring back at the man she loved before walking up the stairs and not looking back.

* * *

 **Author's note - Okay guys! That was chapter 3. Please please continue to read and review and let me know what you think! I absolutely love hearing your thoughts each chapter. You guys have been so great with reviewing and letting me know what you want/are after.**

 **Please continue to do so as it means I update more frequently. I'm hoping this story can have a sequel and maybe even be the first of a trilogy. But that'll only happen if you guys continue to be amazing and review! If you don't like something or want more of something let me know. I also hope you noticed the little hints of Ana and Angel's relationship while EZ was in prison that I dropped...**

 **Next chapter is going to have more Ana and Angel alone ;) so keep an eye out :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note - Guys! Thank you all so much for your stellar reviews for the last chapter! I was a bit worried it may not be that popular so I love that you guys are still enjoying the story.**

 **I was going to wait on posting this chapter but since you've all been reading, following and reviewing I thought it'd be nice to publish this one a bit ahead of schedule!**

 **Please continue to read and review and I will keep it coming!**

* * *

The next day, a Saturday, Ana woke up at around 11am after finally going to bed at about 3, having tossed and turned the whole night while Mark slept in the living room. Throughout the night she couldn't help replay Angel's words in her head over and over again and wonder if he was actually right.

Had she lost herself in this relationship with Mark? Why hadn't she gone into teaching or social services like she always planned? At what point did she decide being the girlfriend of a lawyer was enough for her?

Annoyed that Angel had gotten to her, Ana jumped out of bed and started getting dressed for work. She went through her closet and finally found her black cargo pants and a black singlet to wear before putting on her black combat boots.

Looking in the mirror she couldn't help but laugh, she looked as angry as she felt. All black and not a pop of colour. Rummaging through her drawers she found a red fishnet tee to throw over her singlet. Sure, it wasn't much better but at least it was something. Realizing she was going to be late for opening the bar, Ana ran to the bathroom and did her morning routine, brushing her teeth and hair, her dark curls framing her exotic face perfectly before she applied some foundation and a touch of mascara. She had a 12-hour shift and wasn't set to finish until midnight, which meant she needed to prepared for a long night.

Walking out of the room and heading for the door, she was stopped by Mark, dressed in jeans and a simple white t-shirt, his defined body on display. If she wasn't still so angry at him she'd be ready to jump him then and there.

"Morning babe…" her boyfriend began, not sure what Ana's reaction would be.

'Um…morning." Ana asked, not really in the mood for a rehash of last night.

Sensing her mood, Mark decided he needed to assert himself, "You off to work? I'll drive you!"

"Oh no, it's fine I have a long shift. It's better if I just drive myself," Ana said, grabbing the keys to her car. Normally she wouldn't hesitate to take Mark up on his offer, but after the events of last night she just wanted some space. She knew he meant well but that didn't change the outcome of the evening.

"Come on babe, I'm not going to see you until what?" Mark paused, looking at his watch, "1am at the earliest? At which point you're going to be completely spent. Let me drop you off and you can just call me to pick you up whenever you're ready," he insisted.

Realising it was simply easier to agree than fight, Ana gave up and threw Mark the keys and headed for the door.

Chasing after her, Mark opened the door to the passenger side for her before jumping into the driver's seat, trying whatever he could to elicit a genuine smile from her lips.

For most of the ride to the bar Ana remained silent, until she let five simple words out that let Mark know where he stood.

"I'm still mad at you."

His heart sinking, Mark realised this was going to take more than a few flirtatious comments or sweet moments and that he'd really screwed up by jumping the gun. In hindsight, he figured he should've known better than to insert himself into Ana's relationship with EZ and Angel. Mark had been with Ana since they were 23, and now at 28, five years later he still hadn't gotten remotely close to understanding her bond with the brothers or how to penetrate it.

"I know babe. And I get it, I really do. I shouldn't have been the one to say something to EZ and Angel. I'm sorry… it's just, you gotta know how it is for me. I'm so excited about it!" Mark said slowly, careful not to say the wrong thing.

As Mark turned into the parking lot of the bar and stopped the car, Ana decided it was time for her to share her own feelings no matter how hard it may be. Turning her head towards him, Ana looked at her boyfriend eye-to-eye before finally saying what she'd been struggling to say for months now. "Mark. You know I love you… adore you actually," she began, worried about framing the next few words in a way that'll make it hard to come back from.

"But this move, it's not something I've honestly taken seriously. It's always been a 'what if' to me. And you know what that's my fault, thinking it was just a dream for you when for as long as I've known you I've known what your actual plans have been. But you telling EZ and Angel last night, it made it real. And if I'm being honest, it's making me look at this from a whole new angle and I'm taking it seriously now. But that means I'm not going to just follow you like that… there's a lot keeping me here," Ana spilled out, relieved to finally have that weight off her shoulders. But the minute she took a good look at Mark she regretted it. He looked like he'd just been punched in the gut.

"So what, EZ and Angel – fuck not even EZ the guy who has been in prison for 8 years and would have more of a reason to be angry – but Angel has a fucking tantrum and you now start thinking you don't even want to go?" Mark spat, in a matter of seconds his world had come crashing down and he wasn't sure how to build it back up.

"That's not what happened Mark!" Ana said before he cut her off.

"Well what did happen then Ana?! Because before last night you'd never once mentioned you had reservations. And now, now what you wanna do long distance? Wanna do 6 months here 6 months there, what?" Mark said staring daggers at Ana who was avoiding eye contact.

After a long pause, the next words Mark uttered absolutely terrified him. "What… what you wanna break up?" He asked, his voice cracking as he did so.

"What? Mark, no! Of course, not… that isn't even on my list of options okay? That will not happen! I'm just saying that I need time to think about what is best for ME," Ana explained, heartbroken that Mark thought she would so easily call it quits. Moving towards him, Ana cupped his cheek in her hand before bringing his lips to hers for a long kiss. Whispering "I love you, and I'll call you when my shift is over. Please don't worry," Ana jumped out of the car before the conversation could get any more intense and left her in tears. Walking away from the car, Ana took a final look at Mark before he drove off.

* * *

It was about 11:30 that night and the El Toro was as busy as ever. Ana had been running the bar all night while training the new bartender, a pretty blonde named Ellie who had just moved to town.

She was helping her fix some shots for some regulars when she heard Ellie – who was a flirtatious and outgoing 24-year-old – whistle softly in the direction of the entrance. Wondering who had caught her eye, Ana saw Angel walk through the door in his signature look: his Mayans cut over a sleeveless flannel (seriously does he just cut the sleeves off? Ana thought), showing off his toned and tatted arms, baggy jeans and biker gloves. Behind him were fellow Mayans Gilly and Coco, two more regulars to the El Toro who Ana personally adored.

"You know him?" Ellie asked Ana curiously, a hint of envy in her eyes.

"Who?" Ana asked, unsure which MC member caught Ellie's eye. It seemed around here everyone had a different preference of bad boy biker and Ana could never keep up. Having grown up around enough violence and danger to last a lifetime, Ana wanted something more stable which is why she never found herself on the back of one of those bikes, at least not as someones old lady.

"Um tall, dark and handsome duh?" Ellie said loudly, not caring if she was heard. "Seriously, who is he, he is gorgeous!" She continued, catching Ana off guard.

Looking over at Angel, who had finally spotted her, "Oh, Angel? He's an old friend, older brother of my best friend actually. And that's Coco and Gilly behind him."

"Angel huh? Fitting name," Ellie said cheekily, making no effort to hide her attraction to him as he came up to the bar with his two brothers.

"Ana! My girl how you been?" Coco, said. The Mayan was usually sarcastic and aloof at the best of times, but he always loved seeing his favourite bartender. Partly because she was always fun to joke around with, and partly because he knew how much Angel liked her and seeing his brother turn into a puppy dog in her presence was too good too believe.

"Coco! I've been alright, You?" Ana responded with a genuine smile, before asking Gilly the same question. Not even making eye contact with Angel, who was currently having what appeared to be a _very_ friendly conversation with her new bartender.

"Eh not too bad you know. Same old same old. Hey when you gonna come round the club again for poker night? I gotta win my 500 back," Coco asked, reminding Ana of a few months ago when Angel convinced her to come round and hang with the guys and she ended up a little bit richer. Mark though was quite livid when he found out she'd spent the night at an MC's clubhouse.

Hearing the end of the conversation, Angel decided to chime in and turn away from Ellie who was batting her eyelashes at him in a flurry. "Nah she's too good for us homes, moving to DC and all," Angel said, confusing Gilly and Coco.

Gilly spoke first, "What the fucks he talking about Ana?" Coco remained silent, only nodding at Ana as Gilly spoke, waiting for an answer.

"Well it seems Ana's boy scout boyfriend is moving up in the world, and taking Ana along with him," Angel answered for her, causing Gilly and Coco to look back at her with a mix of disappointment and confusion.

Rolling her eyes, Ana was now ten times more furious at Angel. Not only did he walk into the bar she manages, not say hello and proceed to flirt with her newest bartender (she was betting he'd sleep with her by the end of the night like he did the last two, who ended up quitting because he was such a manwhore and never paid them any attention again), but now he'd gone and spilled the very unofficial beans to Gilly and Coco. Who, while not two of the closest people in her life, were close enough to make her feel bad.

"Angel… I swear to god I am going to choke you if you don't shut up," Ana said in response, glaring at the biker.

"That a threat or a promise mi dulce?" Angel responded, a smirk playing on his lips as he saw Ana become visibly irritated. Angel normally tried to keep his flirty comments with Ana to a minimum for several reasons. One: she never thought he was actually serious and two: it hurt every time she looked at him like he was crazy for even suggesting they could do something remotely physical.

But tonight, she looked like a biker's dream. Dressed in all black from head to toe apart that red fishnet shirt, Ana's body was on full display, even if she didn't intend it to be. Angel thought she had to have the most perfect physique in the world, curvy in all the right places with toned legs, a tight ass, flat stomach and the perfect breasts for her size. Angel didn't understand how she was real. Her black hair was currently pulled back into a high bun and she was wearing minimal makeup but she never needed much. She had full lips and big brown eyes you could get lost in, and Angel often did.

Ready to legitimately lose her shit in front of all her customers, Ana realised it was time for her to go. Walking to the back of the bar and into the office, she let Adam, the owner know she was done for the night before swiftly walking back outside and getting ready to call Mark to pick her up.

As she started collecting her things from under the bar, Ana watched as Ellie continued to try and get Angel's attention as she grabbed Coco and Gilly a beer each.

Noticing out of the corner of his eye that Ana was getting ready to leave, Angel pulled himself away from the hot blonde who's name he'd already forgotten and his brothers. Walking over to meet her at the edge of the bar, Angel leaned against the counter waiting for her to address him.

"Yes?" she said, looking up from under the bar, her irritation clear.

"Heading off so soon?" Angel asked, Ana noticed his eyebrows arched up in the way they do when he asks a question or is confused.

"I've been here since open. My shift is done. I'm calling Mark to come get me and then I'll be leaving and you can flirt with all the bartenders you want without me spoiling your game and telling them what a commitment-phobe you are," Ana said sarcastically, trying to keep the conversation enough on Angel that he won't push her about last night.

But she should know better than to think Angel would let her off that easy.

Grabbing her phone from her hand before she could call Mark, Angel moved back down the bar as a frustrated Ana tried to grab it back.

"Angel, what are you doing?" She asked, exhausted.

"Come have a drink with me before you go." Was all the biker said, holding Ana's phone up just out of reach for the short and petite raven-haired girl glaring back at him.

"Angel, I'm serious. I am tired as all hell and I just want to get home. Give me my phone," she said, unaware of Coco, Gilly and Ellie watching the two bicker. The two biker's were placing bets on how long it took for Ana to smack Angel upside the head. Gilly thought he had about 2 minutes left, Coco thought a bit longer.

"Okay, so… one drink and then I'll give you a ride home," Angel said before continuing after noticing Ana's eyeroll, "Oh come on sweetheart, maybe I'll even throw in an apology for last night…" Angel said softly, not wanting to say it loud enough for his brothers to hear.

"I'm sorry what was that," Ana perked up, a reluctant smile emerging on her face. "Big bad Angel is going to say sorry?" She said, loud and clear for the boys to hear, earning a chuckle from the two.

Now it was Angel's turn to be irritated. "That a yes?" He asked, his eyebrows arched up yet again as he turned his head sideways as if he hadn't heard her.

"Fine… one drink." Ana said, jumping up to grab her phone from Angel's hand before walking over to an empty table and leaving Angel to grab them drinks.

After having grabbed two beers from Ellie, who continued to observe the two from the bar, Angel now sat across from Ana. The pair were currently sitting in silence, Ana leaning on the table, her arms crossed and tucked under her chin as she stared up at the biker.

She looked exhausted. _Exhausted, but still beautiful,_ Angel thought.

Annoyed at his staring, Ana was the first one to speak. She sat up and took a sip of her beer before asking, "So what do you want to say?"

Chuckling, Angel knew what Ana wanted him to say. But what she wanted him to say and what he wanted to say were two very different things.

"Honestly? I don't know Ana. I just know I do need to apologize for pissing you off last night."

"Oh really?" Ana asked, genuinely shocked that it was that easy.

Noticing her reaction, Angel was quick to clarify, holding a finger up to stop her from continuing.

"Not about what I said… but about _how_ I said it okay? I realise there is a time and place, and that was not it. And I should've heard you out. Before just, just jumping to conclusions," Angel finally said, stuttering the end of the apology out as he tried to avoid Ana's piercing gaze.

Ana was completely dumbfounded. On one hand, she was annoyed at Angel essentially saying 'I'm sorry I upset you', but on the other she also knows the biker has too much pride to give a complete apology. He'd done a lot to piss her off over the years, and not once did he ever utter a 'sorry'. _Man, EZ must have really ripped him a new one. I've got to thank him when I see him next,_ Ana thought.

Realising if she was going to move past Mark's behaviour from the night before, Ana needed to forgive Angel too. Even if he was out of line.

"…Well, not the best apology I've ever gotten but I'll take," she replied sarcastically, causing Angel to roll his own eyes now as he took a sip of his beer.

"Good because you know I hate it when you're mad at me," he said honestly, staring directly into her eyes and letting Ana see what most people never saw in Angel. His vulnerability.

"And yet you continue to piss me off,' Ana joked, breaking the tension.

Chuckling, Angel decided it was time to keep the conversation serious. EZ was quick to tell him last night that whatever the hell his problem was with Ana possibly moving, he needed to sort it out now. And while he won't give EZ the satisfaction of hearing it, he knew his little brother was right.

"Seriously though," Angel began, clearing his throat. "I just, I just…" he continued, finding himself at a loss for words.

"Just what Angel?" Ana asked, one hand perched under chin as she looked at him questioningly. It was in moments like these, when Ana and Angel were just sitting together talking, her hair up in a messy bun, her eyes a little foggy because of how tired she was that were some of Angel's favourites.

He was never good at expressing his emotions, to anyone. Only person he could ever really talk to was his mom, his dad was too busy making sure EZ had the proper teachings with school and sports that he never paid a second look to Angel.

But with Ana something was different, when she let her guard down around him – which wasn't often lately – Ana made Angel feel like he could trust her with his life. She could look at him with no judgement and put everything into perspective.

Growing up he'd spent much of his time flirting with her once she was 16 and gorgeous, and he suspected she never took him seriously because he was EZ's big bro and figured he was just playing, and at the time he was.

But as they both got older, Ana became a constant for Angel. When their mom died she was there, when EZ was arrested she was there to pick up the pieces and make sure Angel wasn't alone, going with him the first time he visited EZ in Stockton. She always made sure to check in on him when no one else did. She also made sure to give Angel the wakeup calls he often needed, being his conscious when things got a bit too crazy.

He remembers when he first told her he was prospecting for the club, and her complete shock. Angel always knew she disapproved of the MC life, but he never thought it would divide them. He remembers how close they were right before he joined, he really thought they had a shot at being something more. But it was as if the minute Ana knew about Angel being in the MC, she shut down on him.

Snapping back to reality, Angel decided if there was ever a time to get real with Ana it was now. It was the first time they'd been alone in months after all.

Clearing his throat, Angel looked back at the only girl who ever had his heart. "You gotta know that, for us. Fuck, _for me,_ hearing you could be leaving… I feel like we just got the gang back together you know? EZ is finally back and now you wanna go?" Angel said honestly, his hands now bundled together on the table.

Closing her eyes, Ana breathed a sigh of relief. She was getting honest, raw and heartfelt Angel. Her favourite. Not 'I just want to swear and piss you off as much as possible Angel'.

"Angel, I don't know how many times I have to tell you… but I honestly have not decided. Trust me when I say this: this town, EZ, your dad. _You._ It's all too important for me to just up and leave. It would never be that simple for me," Ana said.

"If we're being honest, I think I've pulled away in the last few months because I knew this was coming. Having to tell you. And you were right last night Angel. You might just know me better than EZ, at least better in some ways and I was scared of what you'd say."

After a pause between the two, she decided to continue.

"And if we're apologizing. Then I'm sorry about losing it at EZ for prospecting. I don't want you to think that his safety is more important to me than yours. The truth is, I still remember vividly you telling me you were joining the MC and that fear I had. Every time I see you wear that cut Angel I get worried because I know it means. You put yourself in the line of fire. I get what the club means to you and I love that it gives you that sense of family. I don't want you to think that my dislike for the club is about anything other than the fact that I _worry_ about you. Even if I don't say it Angel. I do," Ana admitted, grabbing Angel's hand in hers in the middle of the table and giving it a hard squeeze. For the first time in a long time she was laying her heart out for Angel, letting him in just enough that he thought maybe his feelings weren't completely one-sided, maybe Ana just wasn't as in touch with hers as he was.

Not knowing what else there was to say, the pair simply stayed in place for what felt like an eternity until Ana pulled away, much to Angel's disappointment.

"Listen Angel, I'm really glad we could talk. But I am exhausted, I really should call Mark to come pick me up," Ana explained, reaching for her phone.

"No don't. Your place is on the way for me, let me give you a ride home."

"You sure?" Ana asked, not wanting to impose. It was late but she suspected the night was just starting for Angel.

"Yeah of course, come on let's go," Angel said, getting out of his seat and helping an exhausted Ana up.

"Okay… thank you," She said warmly, before the pair said goodbye to Ellie, Coco and Gilly, the two bikers clearly trying to one-up each other in front of the new biker.

Walking outside, Angel made it over to his bike first, grabbing his spare helmet and turning around to place it on Ana's head. Chuckling, Ana couldn't remember the last time she was on the back of Angel's bike. What a strange thing, to be so close to someone, but also have so much distance between each other.

Now mere inches apart as he tightened the helmet to be safely on her head, Angel couldn't help but smile at Ana, who was clearly delirious from exhaustion.

"Come on, let's get you home," Angel said, getting on the bike before Ana, who wrapped her arms and leaned into him as if it were the easiest thing in the world. _She fits like a glove,_ he couldn't help thinking. Having her arms wrapped around him was the most intimate experience he'd had in a long time. Sure, he'd had sex with girls recently, but truly intimate moments? No. Being close to Ana was something else.

Once Ana was comfortable, Angel started his bike and rode off, feeling at ease on the road with the woman he loved wrapped around him. He wasn't sure when he'd get to experience a moment like this again, and he didn't want it to end. When he finally drove into Ana's driveway he reluctantly got off the bike with her, helping her take off the helmet.

"Thanks for the ride Angel. And the talk… I missed talking with you," Ana said, somewhat shyly. Her hair was now a complete mess, with strands of it covering her eyes. Pushing the hair out of her face, Angel leaned in only a fraction of an inch closer, not wanting to shock her.

He just wanted to be close to her and this was possibly the closest he'd ever been to her face before. Leaning down to meet her eyes, Ana was staring back up with him with an unknown look on her face, as if she was searching for something, trying to figure him out. They stood there just staring at each other, nothing more and nothing less, Angel's 6'3 frame towering over her, before they heard the front door of her house open and Ana jumped back.

Angel looked up to see Mark glaring at him while Ana turned around to face him. "Mark, babe you're still up! Angel came by the bar… I figured it was just easier for him to give me a ride home," Ana explained, Mark clearly not happy to see the biker.

Walking closer to them, Mark finally spoke. "Yeah I see… well thanks for bringing _my girl_ home Angel. Ana? Let's go inside yeah?" the lawyer asked, his eyes never leaving Angel's as he made his way back to the door, waiting for Ana to follow him inside.

"Wow, real great guy you have there," Angel whispered dryly, just loud enough for Ana to hear, staring back at her with his eyes wide open in a mock expression.

Rolling her eyes, Ana only pulled Angel into a tight unexpected hug. "Don't ruin a good night Angel. Thank you," she said as she held him, before pulling away.

Walking away, Ana didn't look back until she was just about to enter her house, but Angel was still standing there, leaning against his bike in her driveway staring back at the woman, and the man she loved glaring back at him.

* * *

 **Author's note - Okay guys! Chapter 4 done and dusted. Please please please let me know what you thought! I wanted to do an Angel and Ana centric chapter but I also didn't want to give _too_ much away because what's the point in that this early right?**

 **So let me know if you want more and what of specifically and I'll try make it happen. Please please read and review guys, it honestly makes my day seeing that email notification :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note – Hey guys! I know it's been a minute but here is the latest chapter! I just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you gems for your follows, favourites and ESPECIALLY your reviews.**

 **It brightens up my day when I get those email notifications. Please keep on reading and letting me know what you think because I want to continue giving you chapters you enjoy!**

* * *

It had been a week since Ana's dinner with the brothers and Mark, and her chat with Angel. Currently, she was sitting in the local diner having breakfast and catching up with EZ, who was now officially prospecting for the club.

"So… you're actually a Mayan now…" Ana said, not being able to take her eyes off his prospect cut as he cut into his bacon, trying to stop herself from laughing at his impatience to eat.

"Well I'm not yet, not for a year. And that's if I even last that long Ana," EZ said as he stuffed a piece of bacon into his mouth, savouring the taste after having to eat prison food for 8 years.

"Please EZ you excel in everything, of course you're gonna make it…" Ana said softly, truly trying to hide her disapproval but failing miserably.

Noticing her attitude change, EZ put down his fork to place his hand over Ana's, which were currently cupping her coffee.

"Ana, you need to stop worrying. I get it, but I'm gonna be fine and I got Angel with me. Come on you know he's gonna have my back," EZ said, trying his best to hide that something was indeed off about him joining the Mayans. He needed to keep this deal to himself for as long as possible, especially considering Ana might just kill Mark if she ever found out he had a part to play in it.

"Yeah that's comforting. That boy is a loose cannon! I swear I lost count of how many times I had to stitch him up just in his whole first year of him prospecting alone!" Ana bit back, remembering when it was Angel who was prospecting for the MC. He let his temper get the best of him more than once and often showed up on Ana's doorstep well into the night looking for her help.

Chuckling, EZ wasn't surprised that Ana was dragged into Angel's mess while he was gone. In fact, he was pretty happy they managed to stay close. He'd never tell Ana but he always thought one day she'd wake up and realise her and Angel were a perfect fit.

"Well hey at least you'll be fully equipped to patch me up then right?" EZ teased, earning a hard glare from Ana.

"Ezekiel, I swear to god…" Ana began before noticing the waitress coming over with her waffles drenched in chocolate. Switching from livid to ecstatic, Ana wasted no time cutting into her food. EZ couldn't help but laugh, Ana had always been a sweet tooth and two bites in she already had chocolate on the corners of her mouth like a child.

"You know it's nice to know some things never change," EZ said.

"What do you mean?" Ana asked, not looking up from her plate.

"Well you're still obsessed with chocolate I see."

"Well I have taste, don't I?" Ana said sarcastically before returning a laugh to EZ. She missed this so much in the last 8 years. Just hanging out with EZ talking about nothing and everything, as if they had no problems. While that last part may no longer be true, it still felt like old times. It was something she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Staring out the window, Ana was met with another reminder of their old life – especially for EZ. Standing right across the road, hopping out of a black range rover was Emily Thomas – or was it Emily Galindo now? EZ's first love.

Following her gaze, EZ looked out the window to catch his first sight of Emily in 8 years. She took his breath away. Turning back to EZ, Ana realised he noticed Emily as well and figured it was probably finally time to talk about the one thing she was avoiding with him.

"You haven't spoken to her at all since have you?" Ana asked as EZ continued to just watch Emily from afar, who was holding her baby as her security was grabbing her bags and stroller from the car. She had no clue she was being watched.

"No," EZ said before turning his head back to Ana. "Wasn't much to say," he replied shortly, rattled.

"You haven't mentioned her much… well at all actually…. I'm assuming you're no longer close?" EZ asked. In all these years Ana had skilfully avoided even the slightest hint of Emily in their conversations.

Having finished her food, Ana pushed her plate to the side before folding her arms on the table and leaning in. "No… after you two broke up Emily kind of went radio silent. I tried but she never returned my calls or texts or anything. I think she kind of wanted to close the door on any reminder of you. Think maybe she sees your dad round once in a while and says hi. But aside from that all I've heard about Emily is through town talk. Seems she went to college and came back a new woman, married to a Cartel boss and a baby soon after," Ana explained. She didn't bother mincing words as she was certain EZ already knew Emily was married with a kid. There was no point trying to hide it.

"Can't say I'm surprised. She took it hard when we I first said we should break up. I'm sorry you had to deal with that fall out," EZ said, trying to push out the feelings that came back up now that he had seen Emily again.

Ana simply shrugged, "Don't be sorry EZ. It's not on you. People change, it is what it is."

"Yeah… well speaking of change. What's going on with this move?" EZ asked, worried Ana may have decided to leave. He'd never ask her to stay but he can't pretend he wouldn't be thrilled if she did.

"Ugh, don't remind me please. It's all Mark and Angel want to fricking talk to me about."

"Angel? You saw Angel?" EZ asked, surprised they'd seen each other since that less than fun dinner last week.

"Yes actually." Ana said with her eyebrows raised, "He came by the bar with Coco and Gilly the night after dinner and ended up apologising."

Dumbfounded, EZ didn't know what to say. "Angel? Apologising? Are you sure? Maybe it was a word that sounded like 'sorry'?" In all the years he's been alive, he's never heard Angel utter a genuine apology.

Giggling, Ana held up her hands in defence. "Hey it caught me by surprise too, but every now and again your brother chills out enough to be nice."

"Yeah to you," EZ practically laughed out. "He's been practically fawning over you for the past 10 years," EZ said without thinking. While he always suspected Ana knew about Angel's feelings for her, they'd never actually discussed it.

Rolling her eyes, Ana simply chose to deny, deny, deny. "Oh, come on EZ not you too. Angel doesn't have feelings for me okay? He just likes to rile me up."

"Oh for crying out loud Ana. Why are you in such denial about it?" EZ responded, his outburst surprising both of them. He finally had enough of tiptoeing around the topic with the both of them.

"My brother has been into you for years okay? And it only got stronger once I went inside and you became the one to watch out for him. Why do you think he's as upset as he is about you leaving?" EZ explained, truly confused as to how Ana could be so oblivious.

"If this is true then why has he never said anything? Your brother has never had trouble talking to women." Ana said. If she was being honest, she could understand where EZ had this idea. But the thing that always made her feel like she never had to worry about Angel's feelings was the fact he never actually made a move on her. The man was confident and if he wanted a woman he'd let it be known and he never had with her. So, she always thought nothing of it.

"Because you never take him seriously, come on Ana he flirts with you any chance he gets, he hates your boyfriend and he is determined to make sure you don't move. What more do you need?"

"He hates Mark because he's a lawyer," Ana said.

"Yeah a lawyer who you're in love with."

Chuckling, EZ couldn't help but continue to look at Ana as if she was a complete idiot as she continued to look at him wide-eyed. It was as if she already knew all this but just didn't want to admit it. _Hell she probably did, EZ thought_. "I'm sorry but I'm just stating facts okay? Look I'm not saying this to try to hook you two up or anything. I'm just sick of skirting around it because I feel like it's pretty fucking obvious and at least now you know why Angel is acting like an idiot." EZ said matter-of-factly.

Sitting back in her seat with her arms folded like a child who'd just gotten in trouble, Ana looked back at EZ with an annoyed look. "Why'd you have to tell me that EZ?" She simply whined back. She wasn't sure where that left her now, but Ana wasn't ready to deal with it anytime soon.

* * *

 **Author's note – And that's chapter 5! I've actually got chapter 6 in the works and that'll be coming REALLY soon. It's a flashback!**

 **Please please please continue reading and reviewing. It's so cool seeing your guys thoughts on each chapter and character and it motivates me to keep writing. So if you want more just let me know :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_**7 years earlier**_

It was 3am on a Thursday and Ana was in a deep sleep after a long day of studying for finals followed by drinks with Mark. While it seemed like a good idea at the time she had quickly come to regret it once she was finally home but at least she was alone and able to simply change, take her makeup off and jump into bed about 2 hours earlier.

But her sleep was disturbed as she jumped up in bed after hearing large thumping on her door, followed by the sound of someone slurring out her name loudly.

"What the actual fuck?" She stumbled out of bed, slowly walking down the stairs and to the front door. The closer she got the more the sounds coming from the other side sounded like Angel calling for her help.

"Angel?" She yelled through the door, confused and still half asleep.

"Ana! Oh come on let me in, please? I need your help!" He yelled back.

Grunting, Ana turned the light on and finally opened her door and was met with a very drunk Angel staring back at her, leaning against the door frame. He was in his prospect cut with a sleeveless flannel underneath and was sporting quite a few bruises and cuts to his face. His right eye was also slightly swollen.

"Oh my god, Angel what happened? Are you okay?" Ana asked instantly, bridging the gap between them as she walked up to him and placed a hand on his cheek.

Looking down at her, Angel couldn't help but lean down and place a soft kiss to her forward, something he'd only ever have the courage to do when he was drunk. And something Ana would only let Angel get away with when he was drunk.

"Ah just a bit banged up, some stuff with the Mayans went south… it's kay though, you should see the other guy," Angel answered chuckling, despite the pain he was in he was now grinning from seeing Ana, she could always brighten up his mood.

Grabbing his hand, Ana pulled Angel into the hallway and closed the door behind them while Angel got a proper look at her. He realised he'd woken her up, her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and she was only in shorts and a singlet, with no bra on Angel could see her gorgeous round breasts perfectly and he couldn't help but stare. Noticing, an embarrassed Ana quickly crossed her arms over her chest to try hide them, but little did she realise it only helped Angel more. She had no makeup on but her tanned olive skin was fresh and glowing, she was as beautiful as ever. But Angel could tell she was also extremely irritated to be woken up.

"Shit I'm sorry you were sleeping, weren't you?" Angel slurred, bringing one hand to his forehead as if the time had just dawned on him.

Rolling her eyes, Ana simply grabbed Angel's left hand and led him to the kitchen. "Well it was 3am… but I'm awake now so I might as well help bandage you up, right?' Ana said over her shoulder while Angel admired her from behind. Entering her kitchen, Ana sat Angel down at the table as he took his cut off while she went to grab her first aid kit from atop her fridge, a bag of frozen peas from the freezer and a wet cloth.

"I mean if I don't who will right?" She replied back snarkily. She walked over to Angel and placed the kit on the table before dragging another chair over and sitting across from him, so close their knees were now touching. She placed his hands on her lap and then the frozen food across them to help the swelling.

She then went to work on his face, grabbing the wet cloth and slowly touching it to his cuts, cleaning each one slowly. During this whole exchange Angel simply stared at her, his hands placed firmly on her bare thighs, the warmth from them counteracting the cold.

"Thank you," Angel said softly, seeing a smile fight its way onto Ana's face. Looking directly into his eyes, Ana put the cloth down and just stared at Angel.

"Angel what are you doing? How many times is this going to happen?"

Dropping his head down in shame, Angel nodded as he looked down at his hands. "I know… I'm sorry I don't mean to but"

Placing her hand on his chin, Ana cut him off as she brought his face back up to meet his eyes with hers. "I'm not talking about waking me up for help Angel, I'm talking about the fights in general. Seriously soon enough it's going to be much worse than this and then what? You can't keep putting yourself in danger. And for what?"

"For the club!" He said seriously.

"And what's the club done for you Angel? All I see is it gets you in more and more fights. More and more danger" Ana said, genuinely confused as to why Angel would subject himself to such pain, why he would subject her and his father to watching it.

"Brothers! Family… with EZ in prison I just. It's given me something to do, people to hang with, fight for, live for. People to have my back." Angel said solemnly, his eyes watering despite him trying his hardest to remain tough. This is as much reason as he'd ever given to Ana about why he was joining the MC and she was finally understanding. With EZ gone Angel didn't have a little brother to look out for, his relationship with his dad was strained at the best of times and the club gave him that loyalty and sense of family he'd been missing. Ana was angry for not realising it on her own. She chalked it up to Angel being impulsive and self-destructive, but it was about him being alone.

Feeling guilty, Ana moved so quickly Angel didn't even realised she'd done it but she now had her hands around his neck and pulled him into a hug, their hands leaning against one another. Angel wasted no time in dropping the peas and wrapping his hands around Ana's back, with his legs now free he moved them apart and pulled her closer to him so she was practically in his lap.

"Ummm… not that I'm complaining but what's this for?" Angel asked as he held on to Ana tightly, not wanting to let her go.

Ana laughed against Angel, making him feel her whole body move as she did before she moved her head away to look at him. Their hands still wrapped firmly around each other. "For being honest. I get it now Angel," she said staring into Angel's eyes, their faces mere inches apart.

 _This is my chance, Angel thought. I could kiss her right now. All I need is one kiss for her to see._ Angel was internally debating with himself as to whether now was the time to make his move. But rather than take advantage of Ana's kindness he simply pulled her in for another long hug. _This will have to do for now, he thought._

As much as he wanted to kiss her, Angel wanted it to be because Ana wanted it, not because he pushed it on her. He didn't want her pushing him away and feeling like he was just forcing himself on her. He wanted her to love him too.

Breaking apart after what felt like a sweet eternity, Ana placed both hands on either side of Angel's face, surveying it. She then gave him the frozen peas. "Keep this on your eye for a bit, it's starting to swell pretty bad. And you can stay on the couch tonight, you're not riding home which reminds me why the fuck did you ride here DRUNK?!" Ana asked, her worry for Angel now replaced with anger.

Pushing his chair back, Angel wasn't ready for a fight. "Hey I was sobering up okay, and it wasn't far… I mean, I may have stumbled a few times but no one got hurt." Angel said as he stood up, trying to avoid Ana's stare.

"This time… seriously Angel next time just call me okay?" Ana asked, concern returning to her face.

"Okay," Angel said after a pause. He moved closer to her again before stepping back again, not wanting to get too close for fear of doing something impulsive. "Thank you, Ana."

"Anytime," Ana said as she got up from her chair. "Now come on, I'll get you some blankets and a pillow and one of Mark's t-shirts to sleep in tonight," she began before earning a laugh from Angel.

"Ha! Don't worry about the shirt, a blanket and pillow are all I need," Angel said, not wanting to take a single thing from the boyfriend he'd only met twice, but already detested.

Rolling her eyes, Ana walked down the hall to the cupboard as Angel went into the living room. When she came back with a fresh blanket and pillow Angel was standing there in just his low-ride jeans. He'd already kicked his shoes off and threw his flannel on the floor. Completely shirtless, Ana was taken aback, in all these years she'd never seen Angel shirtless before and she'd be lying to herself if she tried to say it wasn't a sight to see. With his chest adorned with tattoos, and his abs and toned arms on display, Ana didn't know where to look.

Suddenly shy and awkward, Ana slowly walked over to the couch and placed the blanket and pillow down, trying not to make eye contact with Angel who had noticed her reaction and couldn't help the smirk on his face.

"Something wrong Ana?" He asked cheekily.

"Hmm?" She responded, looking up at him doe eyed, a blush on her cheeks. "Nope, nope nothing wrong. So um cool that's sorted… I'm gonna go to bed."

"Yeah no worries… thanks again Ana," Angel said, closing the gap between them and placing a soft kiss on her cheek, sending her cheeks into an ever deeper red.

Not knowing what else to say, Ana simply smiled and nodded at Angel before practically running out of the room and up the stairs. When she finally made it into her room and fell onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow to try shake off whatever it was she was feeling.

Meanwhile downstairs, Angel couldn't help but go to bed with a smile, because he just realised that maybe his feelings weren't so one sided after all.

* * *

 **Author's note – And there is chapter 6 and out first flashback! Hope you guys enjoyed it, I want to pepper this story with a few here and there and I thought now was a good time to bring the first one in.**

 **Please let me know what you think and how you think the story is going. As always your thoughts are incredibly important and help me shape the story, so please don't feel like I don't take them into account because I do.**

 **Keep the reviews coming please :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note – Hello all! Thank you so so much for all your continued support and reviews. I'm hitting a creative time so I'm wanting to update as much as possible and I've already drafted the next few chapters up so please keep reviewing if you want more!**

 **This chapter is rated 'M' for scenes depicting sexual situations of a graphic nature – not as intense as it will get, but it's there :)**

* * *

 _ **Present day**_

It was late Tuesday morning and Ana was woken up by an ecstatic and shirtless Mark peppering kisses on her face. Confused, it took her a moment to fully wake up and return them but she was more than happy to oblige.

"Mmmm good morning, what's gotten into you?" Ana asked in between kisses, swapping positions with Mark so that she was on top of him now, straddling him in bed.

"Well it's just one of the few mornings I get to actually sleep in next to my gorgeous girlfriend." Mark said slyly, clearing hiding something from Ana as he sat up so they were face to face as her legs wrapped around his waist.

Before she could question him further, he started leaving a trail of kisses along her collar bone, in the sweet spots he knew she had that would always elicit the same moan and have her curl into his touch. As she nuzzled his neck, he moved his right hand under her shirt, moving it from her left to right breast, lightly grazing her nipples until they were hard.

"Mmmm babe what are you doing to me hmm?" She asked playfully, moving her hands to either side of his face and pulling him into a deep kiss. They hadn't had sex since before that dinner with the brothers, they'd been too much at odds since then and it seemed they were finally past it.

Mark returned her kiss with just as much passion, sliding his tongue into her mouth, the two of them fighting for control. As their kisses became more intense, Ana began move her hips into Mark's, feeling him grow with every move. It wasn't long until he laid her back down on the bed, ripping her t-shirt off to expose her free breasts and trailing kisses down from her neck to her waist.

Slowly, he began pulling her panties down as she whimpered beneath him, begging him to move faster. "Mmm come on baby I need you," Ana moaned as she played with her breasts, missing the feel of his hands cupping them. He moved lower down her body, moving his head between her legs to find she was already wet, completely aroused. Ana trembled as his tongue inched closer and closer to her lips and when they finally did she couldn't contain herself.

"Fuck Mark don't stop, keep going baby," she instructed as she grabbed onto a fistful of his hair and the edge of the bed, incredibly close to entering that pure state of bliss. But right before she did Mark stopped, moving back up her body, taking each nipple in his mouth and sucking before he brought his lips back to hers.

Neither of them could wait any longer, and Ana wrapped her legs tightly around Mark's waist as he thrust into her.

"Fuck Ana," Mark whispered into her ear as they began to sync into rhythm. "God Mark, faster baby, keep going," Ana encouraged, moving with him with such force she wasn't sure how they hadn't finished already.

"Fuck baby I'm almost there," Mark moaned as he gripped Ana's hips, fighting for control while she was quickly losing hers.

"Shit, yes Mark, fuck," Ana screamed, arching her back into him as he came almost simultaneously with her, both now completely spent and satisfied.

Breathless, the two lied in bed for a few minutes silent as Mark rested on top of a relaxed Ana. It was as if for a moment the world around them cease to exist and the two were in their own personal little bubble.

Freeing herself from underneath him, Ana placed a kiss on Mark's lips as she went to the bathroom to freshen up. Upon returning she found him sitting up in bed under the covers waiting for her. Easing into his embrace, Mark wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a kiss on her forehead before Ana rested her head on his shoulder.

"That was a VERY good wakeup call," Ana said giddily, feeling the stress of the past few weeks fall away but little did she know it was about to be dredged up all over again.

"Yeah well let's just say I got some pretty amazing news this morning," Mark shared, looking down at Ana with a smile a she turned her head up to him.

"Oh?" She asked curiously.

"I got the call babe," Mark said, the grin on his face telling Ana all she needed to know. Moving out of his hold, Ana sat up straight when the realisation dawned on her.

"The call? As in the 'we want you in DC' call?"

"That's right babe! We're moving!" Mark exclaimed, clearly thrilled. Ana on the hand was feeling a number of emotions, but happiness was not one of them.

Noticing her reaction, Mark's face quickly dimmed. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm, oh babe you know I am so fucking happy for you! Seriously I know this has been your dream since forever it's just, you know. I thought we'd have more time," Ana explained, choosing her words carefully.

Frustrated, Mark was now done playing nice. "Well for crying out loud Ana how much more time do you need? This has been on the cards for months," he says, livid that in this moment Ana wasn't as thrilled as he was. "You should be happy for me."

"Mark I am, it's just… for _ME_ it's different okay, you're moving for your job. I'm moving for a guy and giving up everything okay. It's just a lot to consider," Ana said, quickly moving away from Mark who was getting angrier by the minute.

With both of them now on the edge of each side of the bed, they were at a standstill. "Ana seriously, you know wherever we go you're going to be okay because you have me."

"But what else Mark? What else will I have? And you know what I get that you're mad at me for not being completely on board but you haven't really taken the time to think about it from my point of view. That I'm leaving the town I grew up in, my family, my friends and what how do you even tell me it's a done deal now? After a quick fuck? That's how you think this sort of thing needs to be announced?" Ana yelled, not knowing what came over her but feeling relieved now that she'd actually voiced the words.

Looking back at her wide-eyed and livid, Mark couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Seriously Ana you're overreacting okay? You can make friends anywhere, you can tend bar anywhere and you don't have family here!" He yelled, regretting the words the minute they left his mouth.

Ana gasped, she was in complete shock. "How fucking DARE YOU! Just because you can't keep a relationship going that's doesn't involve sex doesn't mean that MY relationships aren't important. YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT EZ, ANGEL AND FELIPE. YOU KNOW THEY ARE MY FAMILY. If you EVER try to imply otherwise again Mark whether we are here or in DC we are going to have some serious fucking problems." Ana spat out, getting up from the bed and heading to her closet for a change of clothes.

Not missing a beat, Mark jumped after Ana, following her into the hallway as she headed for the shower. Grabbing her by the arm as she walked away, Mark tried reasoning with her "Ana where do you think you're going, we're not done."

"No, correction: you're not done trying to control me and guilt trip me into moving with you. I, on the other hand am done with this conversation. I have a shift at the bar, and you know what? Then I'm gonna go hang out with some family – sorry _friends_ – I don't have family, right? Don't wait up I'll crash somewhere else. Have a good day at work." Ana said definitively, pulling her arm out of Mark's grasp and storming off.

* * *

It was now 7pm and Ana was still livid from this morning's fiasco with Mark and everyone at the bar could tell. Ellie, the now regular bartender had been trying to brighten Ana up all night to no success and frankly the perky blonde was getting a little scared of the feisty Argentinian. She wouldn't admit it but she was glad Ana's shift was over, she just wanted her to go home and sleep off whatever got her in this foul mood.

"So girl, any plans tonight?" Ellie asked brightly, trying to make small talk as Ana finished serving her last customer for the night.

"Um, yeah actually. EZ and Angel should be here soon and we're gonna hang out." Ana said shortly. She had no idea what they'd actually end up doing, but she just knew she needed a distraction.

"Oh yeah? I have yet to meet the famous EZ – he as cute as his brother?" Ana asked with a wink. While she initially had a strong attraction to Angel, it didn't take a genius to figure out there was something unspoken between him and Ana that was just waiting to be uncovered and Ellie wasn't about to get involved in no love triangle.

Laughing for the first time tonight, Ana couldn't help but look back at Ellie in appreciation. "Seriously Ellie are cute guys all you think about?"

"Cute guys? No. Hot bikers? Hell yes! Seriously Ana no offence to your boyfriend, who I'm sure is sweet but like how have you not jumped Angel in all these years?" Ellie asked a little too loudly and just as she finished her sentence who else walks into the bar than the man they were talking about and his little brother.

Following Ana's embarrassed face, Ellie turned around and soon realised the Reyes brothers had almost walked in on a very interesting conversation. Realising they'd been spotted, Angel and EZ walked over to the bar.

"Hey Ana, you okay? You sounded pretty down earlier?" EZ said first as he gave Ana a light peck on her cheek, searching her face for the answer. Plastering a fake smile on, Ana appeared as sunny as ever. "I'm fine EZ, just missing my guys. Before we go though, EZ this is my friend and new bartender Ellie. Ellie, EZ," Ana said, wasting no time introducing the two as she noticed Ellie's ogling.

"Hey," EZ said with his signature charming smile, causing a usually confident Ellie to blush. While the two started talking (more like flirting), Angel moved across from Ana to check in on her himself.

"So how you really doing?" The older Reyes brother asked. This was the first time Ana had seen him since her breakfast with EZ and she was surprised by the reaction she had. Standing in front of her in his cut with a short sleeve t-shirt underneath, Angel had his arms outstretched on the bar as he stared straight at her, eyebrows raised, as if he were challenging her to lie to him like she did EZ.

"I'm fine Angel… I just had a shit morning okay?" Ana admitted in a hushed tone as she avoided making eye contact, not wanting to go into it with anyone, but especially not Angel. She wasn't sure if it was her talk with EZ or her fight with Mark or both, but right now she couldn't look at Angel without blushing. Every time she looked at him now she found herself thinking of random moments from their shared past in a different light.

No longer did he come across as a protective and caring older brother in her memories, now he was someone else. Who? She wasn't sure, and that scared her.

"What'd Marky Mark do this time?" Angel asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Rolling her eyes, Ana figured there was no point in trying to hide it because the boys would find out soon enough. "He got the job okay," she said emotionless.

At this, EZ's attention returned to Ana as he and his brother stared at her with practically identical expressions of sadness and confusion.

"Oh, guys don't do that okay? Don't look at me like that I can't take it," Ana said, her heart swelling at the sight of the two men in front of her. "Nothing is confirmed – trust me Mark is making it very difficult for me to want to move – tonight I just want to get drunk and have fun!" Ana said, slamming her hand down on the bar for added emphasis.

Perking up at the sound of Mark irritating her, Angel wasted no time in sharing his plans for the night. "Well baby girl there aint no place better for a drunken night than the clubhouse. Been a minute since you've been. Whatcha say?" Angel asked, a gleam in his eye as he took in Ana properly for the first time. Tonight, she was dressed in tight leather pants that showed off her curvy hips and round ass perfectly, matched with a khaki green halter neck crop top that cut off just before her naval, Angel was practically drooling.

Noticing his leering, Ana felt a weird sense of pride at the thought of Angel of checking her out, it felt as though he was appreciating her for all she was. While it was likely on a physical thing, she couldn't deny it was perking her up in a time when she was really down.

Not having any better ideas for the night, she agreed and before she knew it found herself on the back of EZ's bike as they sped off to the clubhouse.

* * *

It was now just past midnight and Ana, EZ and Angel had been drinking at the clubhouse with the guys for a few hours. Ana had already beaten Coco yet again at poker, also winning a few bets from the guys dumb enough to back him in a game. _When will they learn, she thought as she counted the hundreds._

Currently, she was playing pool with Riz and Bishop while Angel, EZ, Coco and Gilly sat at a table on the other side of the room.

"Jesus Angel want to make it any more obvious?" Coco said, chuckling as he put out his cigarette. Confused, Angel wasn't sure what Coco was getting at. "Huh?"

Laughing, Gilly stepped in as Coco started mocking Angel. "Don't act dumb. You've been eyeing that girl all night. How many fucking girls have been coming up to you tonight trying to get a piece and all you can do is make puppy dog eyes at Ana."

"Man shut the fuck up," Angel said, shrugging off his brother's teasing and turning to EZ for back up.

"What are you looking at me for?" EZ asked, not able to keep a straight face, he was beyond thrilled that he didn't have to act like what Coco and Gilly were saying was utter bullshit. Though, he still hadn't mentioned his chat with Ana to Angel, so he was treading lightly on the topic.

"Seems like Riz didn't get the memo though," Coco cut in, nodding his head over to the scene before them. Riz was currently pulling the classic move of showing a girl how to hold a pool stick by getting behind her and whispering sweet nothings into her ear on Ana, something that Angel didn't appreciate in the slightest. Slamming his beer onto the table instantly, Angel stood up, ready to charge over and make a seen before his brothers stopped him.

"Man chill out. It's just Riz okay? He's a flirt he loves women, especially hot ones. And you had to expect Ana was gonna be hit on when she came in tonight okay? Fucking look at her!" Coco said as Gilly draped his arm over Angel's shoulder to hide his anger from the rest of the MC.

EZ on the other hand found himself getting overprotective of Ana as well and walked over to the pair and Bishop while Coco and Gilly tried calming his brother down. While he knew Ana could take care of herself, EZ wasn't around during her early 20s when Ana became accustomed to being hit on, and part of him forgot that in some ways, she grew up without him.

"What's going on here?" EZ asked, trying but failing to come off casual. Turning around and catching sight of him, Bishop chuckled knowing the prospect was likely to put his foot in it yet again and while he was happy to watch it happen, he wasn't about to have a spectacle on his hands.

"Ana here is taking my whole club for a ride here and emptying all our pockets, that's what's going on," the MC President said, chuckling.

"That's right, Riz here made the mistake of underestimating me because I'm a woman and he's now out 200 big ones," Ana said drunkenly as she leaned into Riz.

"Seriously, the girl told me she'd never played before?" Riz chimed in, his hands up in the air as he looked to Bishop for answers. "She's a fucking con artist," he joked.

"An artist of the game? Yes? A con artist? Hardly," Ana said confidently as she handed to pool stick to Bishop before walking over to EZ. She had clearly had one too many drinks and was now feeling it, slumping into his arms.

"Well hey why don't we play now? I'm sure I could win!" Riz joked, his ego slightly bruised that he'd lost so quickly. "Honestly Riz even in her current state I don't think you could," Bishop joked, looking over at the young girl he'd only met a handful of times but liked greatly.

Chuckling, EZ was grateful to see that what him and the boys thought was someone trying to take advantage of Ana was actually someone getting schooled by her. Grabbing hold of her he sat her down at the bar and got her some water, noticing Angel walking over to them.

"Yo, what happened?" Angel asked, a mix of concern and anger spreading across his face. "Angel! Where have you been?!" Ana jumped in her stool at the sight of the older Reyes brother before dragging him down into the seat next to her and smiling, catching both him and EZ off guard.

While Angel had no clue what was going on, EZ was pretty certain that drunk Ana was more in touch with her feelings that sober Ana was and tonight was going to get much more interesting. But just as he handed Ana a bottle of water, his phone buzzed: a text from Jimenez: his cousin and the DEA agent tasked with handling the deal Mark made that got him out. _30 minutes, your dad's shop._

 _Fuck, EZ thought._ This wasn't supposed to happen tonight, he had only just started prospecting and the time for giving up information was not even close. Noticing his attitude change, Angel reluctantly turned away from Ana to look at EZ.

"Everything ok bro?"

"Huh?" EZ asked, looking up from his phone. "Yeah, yeah just um I realised I forgot to do something for dad. I need to head home just shop stuff… um can I leave her with you?" EZ asked Angel, trying to act like everything was fine.

"EXCUSE ME. But I do not need to be taken care of E-ZEKE-I-EL" Ana said, drawing out his name as long as possible. Struggling to contain his laughter, EZ looked at Angel who nodded a 'yeah I'll look out for her'.

"No of course you don't Ana, you're totally sober," EZ said as he moved out of the bar and over to Ana, dropping a kiss on her forehead before turning to Angel. "Make sure she gets home safe okay?" He said seriously, with no room for joking.

"Of course," Angel responded, his face as serious as ever.

As EZ said his goodbyes to the rest of the club, Ana leaned over the bar to grab the bottle of vodka left unattended. Turning back to her, Angel struggled to pull it out of her grasp.

"Fuck girl you might be tiny but you're strong." He said as he finally got hold of it, eliciting a groan from Ana.

"Angeeeeellllllll. What are you doing?" She asked drunkenly as she perched her head against her arm.

"Cutting you off mi dulce," was all Angel said in response as he grabbed another cigarette from his pocket and lit it up, moving the bottle down the bar and away from Ana.

As she watched him take a puff from his cigarette, drunk Ana felt overcome with a certain kind of emotion that was usually only reserved for Mark. But if she was being honest, recently she hadn't even been feeling it towards him.

As Angel sat next to Ana smoking, his left arm leaning on the bar, Ana rested her head against his shoulder, staring up at him. Tilting his head down to look at her, Angel had never been more confused. _Okay… I know she's drunk, he thought. But come on, she's gotta know what she's doing to me?_

"Can I have a drag?" Ana asked after what felt like an eternity of silence. Angel handed his cigarette over to Ana and watched in awe as she took a few puffs. _Somehow, she looked even sexier, he thought._ When she handed it back to him, their fingers touched briefly and Angel felt like he could have been set on fire.

Sitting in silence, Angel simply admired the sight of a calm, carefree Ana, someone he hadn't seen for a while. But as much as he enjoyed her like this, he knew it was time for her to head home. Before she did something she regretted, or he did.

"K, I think it's time we roll out," he said, causing her to sit up straight. "What?" she asked, looking slightly offended. "Why?"

Smiling, Angel knew the next words that came out of his mouth needed to be framed very carefully because if he said the wrong thing Ana wouldn't leave until dawn.

"Because my love, it's getting a bit rowdy and I have a feeling you're a bit too good for this place with it turns up… and honestly? Imma little tired," he said, eliciting a hearty laugh from the love of his life, followed by a hiccup. _Yep, definitely hammered, he thought._

"Oh, Angel the big bad biker is _tired?!_ What a BORE!" Ana teased, grabbing Angel's cheeks like a child. "And you are drunk," Angel retorted, standing up and lifting Ana with him, who much like she did with EZ earlier, unable to balance herself, fell into his chest.

Caught off guard, Angel looked down at her and lifted her head to meet her eyes with his. "Hey, you alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned that maybe she'd hit her limit.

Smiling up at him, Ana wrapped her arms around him before declaring, "Never better."

Savouring the moment for just a minute, Angel started walking Ana outside, taking it one slow step at a time as she insisted she could walk on her own.

"Come on, let's get you home before Marky Mark calls the cops," Angel said, half serious half joking as they got to his car.

At the mention of Mark, Ana jumped up. "Angel no! Don't take me home tonight please!" She pleaded, putting her hands together as if in prayer. "I can't talk to him tonight he is driving me crazy," she admitted, catching Angel off guard.

"Ana? What's wrong? What happened" Angel asked, assuming the worst.

"He's just TOO MUCH right now. I need a break okay!" Ana yelled like a child, letting all her pent-up frustrations come out. "Please? Can I just stay at yours tonight? I promise you won't hear a peep from me!" Ana asked, staring up at Angel with her signature puppy dog eyes, the ones she knew he couldn't say no to.

Like putty in her hands, Angel simply walked over to the passenger side and opened the door for her. "Okay, get in," he said, at which she jumped with joy before drunkenly walking to the car.

 _Jesus Christ what the fuck am I thinking? Angel thought._

* * *

By the time they got to Angel's place, Ana was ready to pass out and he had to carry her inside. Carrying her into his room, Angel laid her down and took her shoes off slowly. In all the years they'd known each other, this was the first time Angel was taking care of her, it was always the other way around.

Smiling, Angel knelt down next to her, moving a piece of her luscious black hair away from her face as her eyes started fluttering, she was clearly struggling to stay awake.

"Hmmmm Angel?" she asked, turning on her side as she half-opened her eyes to look at him.

"Yes?" he answered softly, his breath catching as he realised how close they were, how vulnerable she was, how beautiful.

"Angel I don't want to go." Ana said, her eyes now fully open and with a new sense of soberness they didn't have before. With Angel's hand still lightly grazing her cheek, Ana brought hers up to rest on his chin, tracing his beard.

"So, don't go," Angel said almost instantly, he knew deep down Ana wasn't ready to move and that was all the confirmation he needed.

"But I, I need" Ana began, before stopping herself, clearly struggling to find the right words to stay.

"Need what Ana?" Angel asked, inching closer again towards her, careful not to get to close, but close enough to hear her, to comfort her.

"… Do you… do you want me to stay Angel?" Ana asked, her voice now softer than Angel had ever heard it, her hand continuing to trace his beard. They'd never been this close before and his heart was racing, he's pretty sure it had skipped more than a few beats.

"You know I do Ana, more than anything," he answered softly, truthfully, scared to be any more vulnerable, especially if Ana didn't remember anything in the morning.

Ana, who was now starting to drift again, was clearly struggling to stay up but she was fighting. Her hand was now slipping down Angel's face to his chest, before falling to the side of the bed.

Angel was ready to leave her to sleep before he heard her mumbling something. "But… why do… you want… me…to…Angel….hmmmmm."

Confused, Angel wasn't sure what to think as he stood up, looking down at the woman he loved more than anything sleeping in his bed, drunk and professing something to him. What she was trying to say he wasn't sure, but he was certain now more than ever that now was his chance to finally get the girl of his dreams and he was done waiting. Tomorrow, he'd figure this all out. Tonight? He'd just watch her sleep.

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 **Author's note – And there we go for chapter 7! That was a long one with lots of different elements. Hope you guys enjoyed it! I needed to cut it down a fair bit because it was WAY longer. So chances are if you felt like there should've been more it's likely because there was aha.**

 **I have the next few chapters planned, but I won't be uploaded until the weekend OR if you guys review this one! So please everyone that reads send in a review, it seriously is amazingly helpful – any and all feedback is welcome! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note – Hello lovelies! First of all thank you all so much for your reviews last chapter, they were awesome! This next chapter deals with the morning after Ana's drunken admission… and I think you're going to like it ;)**

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The next morning, Ana woke up alone in an unfamiliar bed with the sun peeking through the windows and onto her face. Taking a moment to fully wake up, she slowly sat up as she inspected her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was.

Last night was a blur, and she didn't remember much of what happened at the clubhouse…except… _Oh this is Angel's place…_ Ana thought, suddenly uncomfortable once she realised she'd gone home with Angel. It had been a long time since she'd been in his house, but now that her pounding headache was starting to ease she mentally kicked herself for not realising it was his place sooner, _has it really been that long since I was last here? She thought._

Standing up out of bed, Ana was thankful to find she was still fully dressed, minus her shoes which were on the floor. Putting them on quickly, she was worried for a moment that in her drunken and angry state she did something impulsive. Walking over to Angel's bookshelf, she examined the array of objects, from random books to crosses, until she came across an old photo she forgot even existed. It was her and EZ at their high school graduation with Angel and the Reyes parents. Marisol was standing next to EZ, who had one arm around her and one around Ana, with Felipe standing on the outside next to Marisol with a huge grin on his face.

Angel was on the opposite end next to Ana, he was slouching a fair bit so as to hide the height difference between the two, their heads touching as they leaned into each other while smiling for the camera.

Ana smiled fondly at the memory, clear as day in her mind. Felipe and Marisol were ecstatic to watch EZ graduate, who as usual was trying to ignore the attention, EZ was never a bragger. Ana on the other hand had been pretty down for majority of the day, her absentee father woke her up in the morning screaming at her for supposedly hiding his booze. In reality he had just drunk it all the night before. For Ana, graduating meant getting out of that house and running off to college as soon as possible. But once she got to school, she was met with Marisol bumbling towards her with flowers as Angel and Felipe trailed behind, the Reyes family as excited to see her graduate as they were to see EZ.

Picking up the photo, Ana stood there in Angel's bedroom for much longer than she realised, tracing her hand over the frame as she looked back on the people in it fondly. Soon enough she focused on her and Angel in it, and how even back then, he was always there.

Not realising she was being watched, Ana almost jumped at the sound of Angel clearing his throat to make himself known. "Oh, um… s-sorry I just, I just woke up and noticed the photo and –"Ana began, putting the photo back down.

Shaking his head, Angel, in a wife beater and jeans walked over slowly, eager to close the gap between the two. "It's okay. It's a good photo," he said, picking it up as he stood next to her, holding the photo in front of them.

"Hm, I don't think I've ever seen pops so happy before, I remember Mom that morning freaking out because she didn't know what sort of flowers you'd like. She made us look around the mall for what felt like a goddamn hour." Angel said, chuckling at the memory. Turning his head to Ana, he noticed a solemn expression on her face as she looked at the photo.

"Your mom always made sure to make me feel included," Ana said chuckling before she continued, "Like I was part of the family."

Feeling his eyes on her, Ana looked up Angel and found herself matching his stare. "That's because you were Ana. You still are," Angel said gently but firmly, his eyes not leaving Ana's as he put the photo back down on the shelf.

The pair stood there, in the biker's bedroom for what felt like an eternity to Ana, mere inches apart. After a while Ana found herself needing to break eye contact, she wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or something else but she was feeling lightheaded.

Taking a step back, Ana wobbled slightly but Angel not missing a beat, held his hand out and grabbed her, pulling her closer to him again. With her chest against his, Ana was dead silent, it was as if he'd taken her breath away.

Searching her face for some kind of clue as to what she was thinking, Angel kept his hold on her with one hand, while he brushed the hair out of Ana's face with another, Ana leaning into his touch as he did so. It was a small, quick gesture, but it was so intimate that it made Ana shiver. _What the hell is happening to me? Ana thought, getting more confused every minute she spent with Angel, and she was pretty sure he could tell._

With a small smirk playing on his face, Angel let go of Ana as he began walking backwards out the room, his stare still firmly on her. "You hungry?" He asked with his eyebrows raised, laughing when Ana seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in at the mention of food.

"Fuck yes!" She practically yelled, making no attempt to be graceful. Chuckling, Angel let Ana know she could freshen up in the bathroom if she needed to, an offer she didn't hesitate to take up. Once she was in the bathroom, she noticed just how awful she looked. Staring back at her in the mirror was a frazzled brunette she barely recognised.

"Seriously Ana what the fuck?" She asked herself as she found some toothpaste and put it on her finger, _This'll have to do for now, she thought as she brushed her teeth and got the leftover taste of alcohol out of her mouth as best she could._ Ana then washed her face and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to make herself look halfway decent before practically running out of the bathroom with her phone and bag.

She met Angel in his kitchen to find he'd made bacon and eggs. "Aww, you made me breakfast?" Ana asked sweetly as she sat down, looking up at Angel with her glazy, hungover eyes.

"Well I figured you'd probably still be drunk until you got some food in you," Angel said snarkily, sitting down across from Ana. Smiling to himself as she grabbed some food, Angel was enjoying this little moment of domesticated bliss. He knew it was somewhat odd to have Ana in his house so early, after a drunken night no less and without EZ. But boy was he grateful.

"HA-HA. Yes okay, I may have had a drink or two too many last night…." Ana began as she poured herself some orange juice.

"One or two? Babe I think you mean a bottle or two too many. I didn't know you could drink that much," Angel said incredulously, sitting back in his chair.

"Ah, you underestimate you Angel," Ana hit back, a cheeky grin making its way onto her face as she had a sip.

Smirking, Angel made no effort to hide the fact he was checking her out where she sat. His eyes moving down from her eyes, to her plump lips, to her chest.

"Oh no, I'd never underestimate you mi querida," he said as he grabbed some food for himself.

Feeling herself blush, Ana started eating her small portion of food rather quickly to avoid saying something stupid. And before she knew it she was standing up and leaning against the sink in an effort to create some distance between herself and Angel before she asked her next question.

"So... what did happen last night Angel?" She asked carefully. While she knew Angel would never in a million years take advantage of her, Ana was worried that whatever weird feelings she was currently having for him had made themselves known last night. And whatever it was she did feel for Angel, Ana didn't want it to become known because she was drunk.

Looking up at her, Angel put down his fork once he noticed how tense she was. "Nothing… you took Riz and Coco for a ride, think they lost a couple hundred each cuz of you," he said laughing before noticing that wasn't what she meant.

Suddenly, Angel was starting to finally realising that the past few weeks of sexual tension he thought he'd imagined between the two of them wasn't so imaginary. Looking at Ana standing across from him, wringing her hands together in anticipation as she waited for Angel to tell her that she didn't do anything stupid when she was drunk, Angel could barely contain himself of the inside. While he'd never compare Ana to the girls he's hooked up with, he knew that look in her eyes. That uncertainty, that almost innocent look as she waits for confirmation that what she's thinking, or feeling is reciprocated.

Standing up from his chair slowly, Angel walked over to his kitchen sink, leaning against it as he stood directly across from her. "Well… what do you think happened?" He asked slyly, wanting to see if Ana would step up.

Trying to remain cool, Ana found herself panicking slightly. _Oh god what did I do?_ She thought.

"Well… I think I got really drunk and for some reason EZ couldn't take me home and – "

"And here you are," Angel said, cutting her off.

Smiling back at him, Ana simply agreed. "And here I am…"

Folding his arms across his chest, Angel decided to put her mind at ease. "Well don't worry, you crashed pretty much within 10 minutes of being inside. Mumbled a few things, got a little handsy," he paused, teasing out the last night to gauge her reaction as he walked over to her.

"But nothing bad happened don't worry," He said, noticing her very visible sigh of relief as he did so.

"Though… you did say something," Angel said, realising if he were ever going to get the truth out of Ana, it'd be now.

"Oh?" Ana asked, trying to remain nonchalant as she craned her neck up to meet Angel's gaze.

Leaning his left hand against the bench, Angel towered over Ana's small frame. "Yeah, you told me, you told me you didn't wanna leave," he said, slowly leaning in closer towards her, tilting his head to the side inquisitively.

Feeling as though she was frozen, Ana couldn't move – or she simply didn't want to – as she looked back up at Angel. 'Well I mean, I haven't really been hiding that have I?" She asked carefully, her voice shaking slightly as she tried to remain cool despite being in such close proximity to Angel. Considering what EZ had told her about Angel's feelings for her, and how Ana had been feeling since, Ana knew the smart thing to do would be to keep as far away from Angel as possible. But she couldn't help herself, their chemistry was unlike anything she'd felt before. She wasn't sure why she'd only just noticed it, but now that she had she didn't want to go without it.

Still looking down at her, Angel was careful not to get to closer, in fear of scaring her. "Well no but... you asked me if I wanted you to stay," he revealed, his breath catching slightly as he realised that now he couldn't pretend there was something more, because whatever Ana said next would set of a chain of reactions. But he was ready for it.

Clearing her throat, Ana bit her lip before breaking Angel's gaze, turning her down to look at the floor. She knew now that even though nothing physical had happened between the two, she had a sneaking suspicion it very well could have.

"And what'd you say?" Ana asked as she continued avoiding looking back up at Angel. But Angel wasn't having it, placing his right hand firmly on her chin, he pushed her head back up so that she was looking directly at him. Not letting go of her, Angel leaned down as Ana stretched upwards, trying to match Angel's height, her breathing heavy as her eyes moved from his eyes to his lips.

Angel's face was now hovering over Ana's, the two both simply waiting for the other to make the first move. Smirking, Angel simply asked, "What do you think?"

Looking back up at him, her eyes rapidly moving between his lips and his eyes, Ana couldn't take the tension anymore. Deciding she was already too far gone for this to never be awkward even if she didn't kiss Angel, she figured she might as well do what she wanted – what they both wanted.

Bringing her hands up, Ana stood on her toes as she grabbed either side of Angel's face and brought him down to meet her lips. It was the most impulsive thing she'd ever done, and she'd never felt so alive. Their lips now intertwined, Ana felt like her whole body was on fire.

Angel wasted no time in wrapping his strong, tattooed arms around her as Ana pulled him closer to her, as hungry for him as he was for her. Picking her up effortlessly, Ana wrapped her legs around Angel's waist as he walked her forward until she was sitting on the kitchen bench, her back leaning against the wall. Still refusing to break apart, Angel's hands travelled from Ana's waist up her body as his tongue entered her mouth, dancing against hers, eliciting a soft moan of appreciation from Ana as her hands wrapped around his neck, her legs now back around his waist as if to keep him in her grip – as if he'd ever want to be anywhere else.

Angel's hands continue to explore her body, his left now on holding the back of her neck while his right catches up, taking longer on account of Angel playing with her breasts, drawing out another moan from her. He then moves his lips away from hers and brings his mouth to the crook of her neck, switching between a trail of kisses and sucking on her neck, his beard adding to the sensation. "Mmm-huh Angel," Ana whimpers as she grips him tighter, the sensation he's causing sending her into overdrive. Her hands travel down his back, and Ana pulls him closer, feeling his growing bulge between her legs.

Her turn to smirk now, Ana leans against the wall behind her as Angel looks up at her, in awe of her. "Holy shit" She says cheekily as she looks at Angel, her eyebrows raised and her cheeks a bright red, partly from the intense makeout session and partly from being in this position with Angel, Ana never imagined herself here but yet now that she was in it, it felt so right.

Smirking at her reaction, Angel had been waiting for this his whole life, and he wasn't about to let it stop anytime soon. Practically jumping her, Angel pulled Ana into another deep kiss, his hands running through her thick hair fiercely as the two fought for control. As they broke apart again after a few minutes to catch their breath, Ana started peppering kisses on Angel's cheeks before moving down to his neck and chest as Angel buried his head into her hair, taking a brief moment to savour the smell of it, to savour the moment that he'd imagined a thousand times. Somehow, it was better than he had ever envisioned.

Pulling Ana's face back up to meet his, Angel was desperate for her. Bringing her in for another full, deep kiss, Angel broke it off as if to purposely tease her. Noticing her frustration, Angel chuckled lightly, "Mm don't worry mi reina, we're not done here," he says before inching slowly down her neck and then her chest, her halterneck providing easy access to her breasts.

"Oh go – geez Angel," Ana struggles to get out as he continues tracing his tongue around her breasts, teasing her nipples into tight buds. Ana wasn't sure what she expected to happen when she first kissed Angel but ending up on his kitchen bench practically dry humping was not it. About to reach down and pull him back to her lips, Ana was kicked back into reality at the sound of a phone ringing.

"Mmm don't… worry about….. it," Angel begged Ana as he felt her stiffen underneath him, moving back up towards her face and meeting his eyes with hers, trying to stop the moment from being ruined. They continued as they were for a few more seconds but so did the phone.

"Angel, it…could… it… could… be… important…. EZ…. Or… the…the… club…" Ana said in between deep breaths, trying to regain some sort of composure. While physically she wasn't ready to stop by a long shot, she knew mentally they needed to cool it and it looked like Angel didn't have the self-restraint to do so, so it was up to Ana to somehow find it.

Using what little energy, she had left, Ana pushed Angel off her softly, kissing him ever so softly one more time before telling him to answer his phone. Whatever it was, she knew it was likely to be some urgent job for the club and she didn't want to be the reason he got in the shit with them.

Grudgingly, Angel stepped away from Ana and reached into his pocket for his phone, his eyes never leaving her for a second. "Yeah what is it?" He answered, his frustration evident immediately to whoever was on the other end. Ana couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed as she stared at him, his pants now extremely tight around his groin, his short hair a mess from her running her hands through it, faint hickeys on his neck. _Holy shit, did I do that? She thought, not knowing she had it in her._

As Angel continued talking on the phone, she noticed his conversation was becoming more serious as he turned away from her and began speaking in a hushed tone. Suddenly slamming back into reality now that his lips were away from hers, Ana quietly got back to her feet and made her way over to her own phone. Unlocking it, she found herself flooded with messages from EZ and more importantly Mark, who seemed to have stayed up all night calling her.

 _Ana, where are you? I'm so sorry about this morning… please let me come get you wherever you are…._

 _Ana I just spoke to EZ, he said you spent the night at his, please call me when you wake up. Let's talk this out Ana please._

These were only two of a handful of messages Mark had sent Ana throughout the night, and Ana was now suddenly confronted with more guilt than she could handle at the thought of what she'd just done to Mark.

Looking back over at Angel who's back was still facing her, Ana found herself panicking. Any minute now Angel would get off the phone and want to continue what she had started, and she wasn't sure she had the will to fight him off. Looking between her phone and the hallway, where she could see a peek of the front door, Ana grabbed her phone and bag and quietly crept over to Angel's front door, looking back to make sure he didn't notice anything.

Watching him to make sure he didn't notice, Ana slowly turned the doorknob and sneakily opened his front door just enough for her to squeeze through. Now on his front porch, Ana was met with the glaring sun of Santo Padre. Running down the steps, Ana counted her lucky stars when she saw a taxi coming up the street which she wasted no time in flagging down and jumping into. Driving away from Angel's and back home, hopefully to an empty house where she could collect her thoughts.

Back inside, Angel was finally off the phone with Coco, who wanted to talk ahead of their next meetup with Adelita that night. While Angel knew Coco had good reason to call, he couldn't help cursing his brother for his timing. Once he finally hung up, Angel turned around expecting to find Ana ready to finish whatever the fuck they started, but instead was met with an empty room.

Walking out of the kitchen and into the living room, Angel noticed his front door was open and knew immediately that Ana had ran.

"Fucking shit!" were the first words in a long string of angry ones that Angel yelled as he threw his phone, angry and disappointed that he had gotten so close to what he finally wanted only to have it slip away in less than 5 minutes.

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 **Author's note – okay guys, there we go!**

 **I seriously hope you guys liked this one, and that it left you wanting more.**

 **As always, I'm going to ask (really beg) for you guys to review and let me know your thoughts. The longer the better but I'll take what I can get. It's just really important to me to hear your feedback whatever it is and know what you think.**

 **You've been great in giving that so far so please keep doing so :)**

 **Much love!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note – GUYS! OVER 100 reviews and we're not even 10 chapters in. That is amazing and you're all superstars! Thank you so so much for your AWESOME reviews last chapter. I thrilled to see it made you feel something considering what went down.**

 **This chapter is a bit slower paced, but worth it I think so please enjoy and as always please review!**

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"YOU MADE OUT WITH ANGEL?!" Ellie practically yelled as her and Ana were in the backroom getting more cases of beer. The blonde bartender could tell the minute Ana stepped into the bar something big had happened, but she was not expecting this.

"Okay if you could dial it down a few notches that'd be fucking great," Ana replied sarcastically, doing a doubletake outside to make sure no one heard Ellie's outburst. Luckily for her, the bar was almost completely empty on account of it being 3pm on a Wednesday.

She had spent most of her morning dodging calls from Angel and trying to get ready for work. But she found every time she looked in the mirror she felt like the rendezvous from this morning was all over her face. She knew she was being crazy, but she couldn't shake her guilt and she thought it was clear for everyone to see.

She was just thankful that when she did get home this morning Mark was already at work. She called him and told him she'd meet him home after her shift tonight and talk about everything – she didn't know what exactly she was going to say, but she knew she had to tell him about kissing Angel. What that meant for their relationship? Ana had no idea.

Laughing, Ellie simply shrugged as she walked out of the backroom ahead of the brunette. "I'm sorry girl, but seriously this is BIG okay? That biker has got to be one of the hottest men in Santo Padre and he is like putty in your hands."

Glaring back at her, Ana placed the beers on the bar before leaning on them. "I'm sorry have you forgotten that I have a boyfriend?"

"Well, first of all I haven't met him so… yeah? And second, I've seen you and Angel interact and it is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Your guys' chemistry is clear for everyone to see so honestly I can't imagine whatever you have with this lawyer dude is more intense than the sexual tension between you and biker boy," Ellie explained as she loaded the beers under the bar.

Groaning, Ana started helping her in an attempt to distract herself but she knew Ellie was right. If she was being honest, whatever she was feeling for Angel was proving to be impossible to ignore, and really, she didn't want to anymore.

Part of her thought that when she kissed him, it would all go away, like it would prove to her there was nothing there. Instead, it did the exact opposite. But that didn't mean Ana didn't still love Mark. Her first real love, Mark was the first guy she ever gave herself to completely, and she didn't want to lose him but she knew once she told him about Angel she might.

Chuckling, Ellie couldn't help but be amused. "So how was the kiss?" She asked Ana cheekily over her shoulder.

"Ugh…. Honestly?" She said, waiting for Ellie to turn back and dramatically roll her eyes in substitution of a 'yes'.

"Better than I ever thought it could be… seriously it was as if... I found myself thinking 'Why haven't we been doing this all this time?'" Ana admitted as she sat at the bar, unknowingly taking on the role of a customer pouring their heart out to the bartender.

"Well I believe you're the reason for that right? Didn't EZ tell you Angel's been in love with you for god knows how long?" Ellie said, now standing opposite Ana as she leaned against the bar, her head perched on her hand.

"Well yeah… but you know it's not like Angel ever actually told me how he felt you know? Like it's all good and well for EZ to say something but I kind of need to hear it from the horse's mouth. Like I STILL don't know HOW he feels exactly. Does he legitimately want to be with me, or does he just want what he can't have?" Ana blurted out, her face contorted into a mix of worry and frustration as she looked back at the blonde for answers.

Taking a moment before she responded, Ellie knew Ana needed someone to just give it to her straight, and she realised she'd have to be that person.

"Listen Ana. I know we haven't known each other all that long right? But I consider you a real friend, you've helped me get used to this town and I'm so grateful to you. So please don't get mad at what I'm about to say okay?" She paused, waiting for Ana to nod in agreement.

"You need to woman the fuck up okay? All I've heard the past few months is how you don't want to move, how you feel like you've lost who you are and how Mark isn't taking your feelings into account and how you two haven't been good for a while.

NOW you know that Angel feels something for you – what I don't know – but I'm willing to bet it's pretty damn strong, and you clearly want him to. Maybe the reason why you're holding on to Mark is simply because it's comfortable and Angel and his life provide a certain element of danger you're not used to. But you know the way I see it? If you really wanted to be with Mark, whatever this thing is with Angel, it wouldn't have any effect on your relationship… it certainly wouldn't have made you make the first move and kiss Angel, that's for sure!"

Feeling like she'd just been hit by a truck, Ana sat up a bit straighter in her seat as she played with the edges of her white sleeves, avoiding eye contact. While she didn't want to admit it, she knew Ellie was right.

"Yeah.. no that um, that makes sense… You're probably right." Ana admitted, earning a rolling from eyes as she finally looked up at her fellow bartender. "Now what do I do?" Ana asked.

"Hmph, now you talk to biker boy," Ellie said with a chuckle, looking over at the entrance to the bar. Following her gaze, Ana was confronted with the sight of Angel, dressed in his usual baggy jeans, sleeveless flannel and Mayans cut. Looking directly at her, Angel wasted no time in walking over to the woman who left him high and dry in his house earlier that morning.

Sitting down next to her, Angel's eyes never left Ana's and she found herself struggling to breathe.

"Hey." Angel said shortly as he leaned against the bar, his frustration clear for anyone to see. What else was clear to see was Angel checking Ana out from head to toe. Dressed in a long-sleeve white shirt, black skirt and sheer black tights with heeled biker boots, Angel was almost mad at Ana for an entirely different reason: for looking so good after denying him.

Trying to avoid his gaze, Ana got up from her stool as she started shuffling around, moving her stool in a poor attempt to create some distance between them.

"Hi… so um… we should talk…", she began, placing her hands on her hips in an effort to appear put together. In reality, Ana felt like her heart was racing a thousand miles an hour now that Angel was in front of her. All she could think about was what happened this morning, and how badly she wanted for it to happen again.

Standing there in an awkward silence, Angel and Ana couldn't stop staring at each other. Ana's face was one of childlike embarrassment, while his was one of anger. While he understood why she ran out on him earlier, it didn't make it any easier for him to stomach and he was ready to tell her as much now.

Realising she couldn't avoid the talk any longer, Ana nodded for Angel to follow her to an empty booth in the corner of the bar, leaving Ellie to watch the pair as they left, silently praying they got their shit together.

Sliding into the booth first, Ana watched as Angel sat down after her, still silent and clearly aggravated. Ana didn't know how to start the conversation, or where it would go once she did, so found herself simply staring back at Angel in anticipation. But it soon became clear the biker wasn't going to be the first to speak and she found her own anger rising.

"Okay seriously Angel I have work to do, so if you're just gonna sit here and fucking glare at me then I need you to leave." She said firmly, trying to maintain some sort of control in a battle she had already lost.

"Oh like you left this morning?" Angel retorted snarkily, tilting his head as he looked back at her, his right arm laid out on the table while the other stayed at his side. He looked unfazed despite the tone of his voice and the steely look in his eyes.

Rolling her eyes, Ana crossed her arms as she felt her guard instinctively go up. "Angel I'm sorry… but… what else was I supposed to do?"

"Uhh how about what you actually wanted which we both know involved us with no clothes on my kitchen table," Angel stated bluntly, getting to the point and avoiding any sort of subtlety. He had waited long enough for that moment with Ana and he was damned if he was going to come up short again.

Blushing, Ana found herself both annoyed and turned on by Angel's brazen attitude. Normally, if a man ever spoke to her like that she'd be sending him on his way with a swift slap to the face but somehow with Angel she just wanted to take him up on the offer. ' _What the fuck is happening to me?!'_ Was the only thought currently running through her mind.

"I'm not a cheater Angel…" Ana said softly as she looked back at the man who was slowly worming his way into another part of her heart.

"Fuck Marky Mark," was all Angel had to say in response, his feelings clear on the matter of Ana's current relationship status.

Scoffing, Ana threw her head back in genuine laughter. "Yeah _'Fuck Mark'._ Angel I know you don't want to hear this. But no matter what it looks like to you, he's been good to me. I've been with him for 7 years okay? He's taken care of me, he has proven to me there are good guys out there. Way better than the kind of fucking father I grew up with and the kind of people he exposed me too…" Ana paused, suddenly getting choked up. Composing herself she soon continued, "While we haven't had the easiest of times lately… I can't… I can't betray him like that."

Softening slightly, Angel recognised the only way to get through to Ana was to come at her differently. "Alright fine. You couldn't cheat… but what you're not gonna stay with him are you?" He asked, half of him confident at what her answer would be, the other half completely terrified.

Deciding now was the time to lay all her cards out on the table, Ana started trying to find the right words to let Angel know what she needed from him. It was easy for everyone to tell her all Angel needed to hear from her was a 'yes' for her to have him, but she needed more. The man was many things but upfront about his deepest feelings was not one of them.

"I don't… think… listen Angel I haven't. I haven't thought it all through… what I'm going to say or do… or even you know what I, what I want," Ana started to explain, fiddling with the rings on her hands as she looked between them and Angel.

"But I just... I need to know what it is you want… or you know 'feel'. It's one thing for EZ to tell me you've had feelings for me for a while but you know it's another for you to tell me. And contrary to what you might think, all a random makeout session on a kitchen countertop tells me is that you're a great kisser and are physically attracted to me," she said quickly, her cheeks turning red once she looked up at Angel to find him smirking back at her.

Practically giddy now, Angel leaned across the booth to grab Ana's hands in his, calming her. Forcing her to look him in the eyes, Angel gave her the warm smile that charms almost every woman. Normally immune to it, this time Ana found herself filled with butterflies and feeling like she was a teenager again around her high school crush.

"You know for a smart chick you can be clueless sometimes," he chuckled, earning a roll of the eyes from the woman he loved. Clearing his throat, Angel got serious. "Ana… I don't want what I'm about to say to, to scare you off or anything. Which is probably why I've wasted so much time. But… but I'm in love with you," he admitted, his eyes softening to a dreamy look that garnered a soft gasp from Ana.

"I have been since we were kids you know? I know I never showed it… I know was a brat who acted too cool. You know brought around a bunch of girls, paid you no attention, treated you almost the same as my kid brother for a long time… but… you know as we got older and…. And you know you became a woman and got an attitude… I used to think 'huh she could keep up with me'. Hmph…. And then… and then mom died…" at this point Angel found himself choking up.

Clearing his throat and caressing Ana's hands, Angel started again, "And EZ went inside… through all of that you never left me. You stuck by me and pops and you saved me from doing things I wouldn't be able to come back from. And you know I get this thing you got with Mark, I do. He's a straight-laced kind of guy you can depend on, who's not gonna do to you what your dad did and I know after all the bullshit that piece of shit put you through the last thing you ever needed or wanted was to have to deal with the sort of life the MC is… But Ana I would never do that either, I'd treat you like fucking royalty, I'd give you the family you always wanted… and I would never make you feel like I was all you had. I want so much for you, I want you to do all that you've dreamed about because you've fucking spent all hours of the night just telling me what you want to do, who you want to be."

"But Mark? All he wants is for you to pack up and move with him, for the last 5 years you've just done whatever he needed and what has he done for you? He's turned you into some girl who's just cool with following his lead, who's personality has been dimmed and you know what deny it all you want but the only times I think I've ever seen you _enjoying_ yourself and being your snarky, know-it-all, bitchy – _which I love, don't get me wrong –_ self… is when you're not around him… and is when you're around me… I bring out the real Ana. The Ana you are with him, it's just a front."

Angel took a moment to simply look at Ana now. Fighting back tears, her mouth was slightly open in shock at Angel's heartfelt confession. Taking a hand to her face, Angel simply caressed her cheek before running it through her hair, Ana leaning into his assuring touch.

"It has killed me every single day watching you love him… but now? Now that I know things could be different, that _WE_ could be different? I won't sit back and watch any longer Ana," Angel finished, his hand now back down on the table, but Angel now leaning completely forward so that he was only inches away from her.

Clearing her throat, "What do you mean Angel?" She asked shakily, barely a whisper.

"I mean… if you don't pick me Ana… if you don't finally give me a chance, do something crazy and take a fucking leap of faith… if you decide for whatever reason he is what you need. Then I need you out of my life," he said matter-of-factly, but his heart was clearly breaking at the mere thought.

"Wha-what?" Ana asked, fear now emerging on her face at the thought of not being in Angel's life.

"I'm sorry Ana," Angel began, now sitting up straight, removing his intertwined hands from hers. "But I can't anymore. I know it's selfish but I can't be in your life and watch someone love you not enough half as much as I do. So I'm done chasing… now it's time for you to tell me what you want." And with that, Angel stood up from his seat, his long frame now towering over Ana who felt as though she'd now shrunk into the size of a doll.

Leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips, Angel whispered a parting line to leave Ana pondering: "I hope I see you soon _mi amada."_

And with that, the talk biker turned around and walked out of the bar, stealing one last look at the woman he loved, who still sat in the same spot as she tried fighting back the tears as she came to terms with what she just heard, and tried to figure out what to do next.

* * *

 **Author's note – There we go guys! Angel has LAID IT ALL OUT ON THE TABLE (literally and figuratively aha)**

 **Please let me know your thoughts and what you're hoping as well as expecting to see.**

 **There is still so much to explore like Ana making her choice and discovering Mark's involvement in EZ's deal (which will be a HUGE factor).**

 **There's also not much longer to go until we coincide with the show's storyline fully, so be prepared for that too.**

 **As always, I'm going to insert my usual nagging request of reviews. But it seriously does serve as inspiration and motivates me to keep going and producing longer, more in-depth chapters for you. So please work with me here and let me know what you think!**

 **Thanks guys!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note – HI GUYS!**

 **It has been A MINUTE.**

 **So sorry for the long update – I don't like leaving updates for longer than a week and here we are at 2! I've been so busy with work time escaped me a little bit but I am back and ready to keep giving you some Angel and Ana!**

 **I hope this chapter is to your liking, let's get started!**

* * *

It had been a few days since Ana had spoken to Angel at the bar and she had been avoiding both him and Mark like the plague. She found herself fighting with her head vs her heart, and both had some pretty good arguments.

On the one hand, Ana has been with Mark for the better part of a decade, he was stable and loyal and she loved him greatly. But on the other, Angel had been in her life for much longer, and was just as loyal - perhaps even more so. He just wasn't necessarily as stable and the thought of committing to a man whose life was shrouded in danger terrified her.

But she couldn't ignore her feelings for Angel any longer, every time she thought about him she found herself reliving their kiss, the way he looks at her and the last conversation they had, where he laid it all out on the table for her. She'd never been met with such raw, brutal honesty and love before. It was overwhelming.

It was these thoughts and emotions that eventually made her realise what she was fighting for the last few months: her relationship with Mark had evolved into something devoid of romance, their spark just wasn't there anymore. What she was feeling for Angel was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before and she couldn't ignore it any longer.

 **Part of her started to wonder if perhaps she always did have some sort of idea as to Angel's feelings for her, but she just never let herself entertain them. While she was now ready to see what they could be, she still wasn't sure of what was ahead for them.** Was she really ready to just jump from one relationship to another? And what if Angel and her didn't work out? How would it affect their friendship, and her friendship with EZ?

Ana was scared the risk was too big to jump full force into a relationship with Angel, but she also knew a life without him wasn't an option. He'd come to mean too much to her, and Ana now realised she didn't want Angel as just a friend any more than he wanted her as one.

But now came the hard part. Sitting at the kitchen table Sunday morning with a cup of coffee, Ana knew the minute Mark woke up he'd want to talk and try sort their issues out. Over the past few days she's made sure to stay at the bar as late as possible, so that by the time she gets home Mark is fast asleep. In the mornings she's been running out under the guise of having 'errands' to run. This mostly translates to Ana stopping by EZ's place and talking to Felipe before he heads out for work, or going to the gym and trying to work off some steam.

Avoiding Angel has been surprisingly easy, with the biker pretty much flying off the radar after their last conversation. Ana figured with how they left it, Angel was waiting for her to inform him of her decision and as guilty as she was already feeling for what she was about to do to Mark, she was also excited to finally be able to fully admit her feelings for Angel.

In a daze, it took Ana a moment to realise Mark had woken up and was now making his way downstairs. Entering the kitchen, he was clearly taken aback at seeing Ana as he stood still in the doorway, a timid expression on his face.

"…Good morning", Ana said softly as she stared at the man she'd shared her life with for almost a decade, unsure how one exactly ends a relationship, having never done so before. She was already finding herself choked up and she knew Mark would put up a fight.

Picking up on her mood instantly, Mark wasted no time in sitting down next to her. "Hi… I'm glad we're finally home at the same time," He said, placing a hand on her cheek and caressing it, his eyes soft and warm.

Leaning into his touch briefly, Ana pulled his hand down. "Mark… we- we need to talk," she stuttered out as she looked down at the table, trying to keep her composure but her lip was quivering.

Moving his hand away, Mark straightened up in his chair as he heard those words, sadly confident that the conversation set to follow them wasn't going to be a good one.

"What is it?" He said with a clenched jaw, staring straight at Ana as she tried avoiding his eyes.

Staying silent, Ana was prompted to speak up when Mark repeated himself, this time his voice louder and more assertive, his fear and irritation clear.

"I, um… I've been… well you know that I've been really struggling lately with…. Us," Ana began, looking up at Mark as the last word escaped her lips.

"With us? With the move sure… but I didn't realise there was something wrong with _US,"_ Mark said, not knowing where Ana was coming from or where she was going.

Tears starting to form in her eyes, Ana let go of her coffee and brought her hands to her forehead, trying to massage the headache that was currently forming away.

Taking a deep breath, Ana decided she just needed to rip the bandaid off. "Come on Mark, you know I haven't been all there lately, you can't tell me that everything has been picture perfect?"

"No, no you're right about that. But I never thought it was as bad as you're making it seem. Fuck Ana I just thought you were struggling with accepting the move I didn't think it was enough to make you push me away," he said in response, his tone softening now as he realised he needed to ease Ana's nerves before she did something they'd both regret.

Pulling away from him, Ana stood up and walked over to the kitchen counter to create some distance, her back leaning against it as she looked at him.

"You're not getting it Mark… I'm not happy anymore," she admitted softly as a tear fell down her right cheek. Her heart now racing, Ana simultaneously felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders while another had just come crashing down. The look on Mark's face was too much for her to bare.

Clearing his throat, Mark didn't know what to say. All he could do was continue to stare at Ana in shock.

After what felt like an eternity of silence he finally found the power to speak, but he had no idea what he would say until he said it.

"What'd I do?" He asked, not knowing where he had fucked up. He had always treated Ana like a queen, and everything he did was motivated by his desire to give her a better life, to get her out of this fucked up place and somewhere they could grow together.

"You didn't do anything Mark, I just… I still love you okay? So, so much. And I hate myself for this, for not being able to give you an exact date or time of when I started feeling this way okay but there are just so many things that have happened in the past few months with EZ coming out and I just, things are different. _I'm different."_

"And I can't keep pretending like I'm going to move with you, because I'm not. And I can't keep pretending that I'm happy with my job, because I want to do more and…"

"Okay so we won't move! We'll stay here okay, and, and you'll find a new job, you can start volunteering at the youth centre! And go back to school and I can keep climbing up at work and everything will be fine." Mark said, cutting Ana off in his excitement at thinking he found the solution to their problem, jumping up to stand in front of her.

Holding his hand in hers, Ana brought them up to her lips and rested her mouth on their intertwined hands.

"No… Mark… I don't want that… You see there's something…there's someone else," she finally admitted, bringing her brown eyes up to meet Mark's steely blue ones.

Seeing the realisation spread across his face, Ana prepared herself.

Stepping away from her, Mark continued walking backwards until he was standing at the edge of the kitchen entrance, leaning against a chair. Putting all the pieces together, Mark finally realised what it was Ana was trying so hard to avoid saying.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" He shouted, absolutely livid.

"FUCKING ANGEL! ANGEL?! THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL FUCKING ABOUT?!" He screamed at her, throwing the chair into the hallway.

Ana had never seen Mark this angry before, and she found herself absolutely terrified. Not only was she scared of what he'd do, she also found herself flashing back to the days of living with her drunk of a dad, who was known for lashing out physically when mad.

"Mark, p-please okay just,"

"JUST WHAT ANA? CALM DOWN? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN I HEAR THAT MY GIRLFRIEND IS SCREWING AROUND ON ME WITH SOME TRAILER PARK FUCKING TRASH BIKER," Mark said, his voice only seeming to get louder.

Remaining silent, Ana shrunk into the kitchen counter as she wrapped her arms around herself and avoided Mark's gaze.

"I cannot fucking believe this," he said, finally lowering his voice but the anger still clear.

"After everything I have fucking done for you Ana, you went and slept with that motherfucker."

"I didn't sleep with him," she said softly, more to herself than to Mark at this point who was seeing red.

Hearing her, Mark wasted no time in continuing his tirade.

"BUT YOU FUCKING WANT TO RIGHT ANA?! What, what you wanna become like every other fucking groupie that hangs around him. Or what you think he's gonna treat you different?" Mark asked, not understanding how in only a few months Ana's opinion on Angel could have changed so dramatically.

Finding her voice again, Ana decided she needed to defend herself. While she understood Mark's anger, she wasn't about to let him treat her like crap.

"I know you're angry Mark... you have every fucking right to be okay, I know. But, I'm done lying about how I feel," she began, stepping closer to him to try and close the gap and calm him down.

"Ever since EZ has been out okay, I've, it's like a part of me has been awakened again. You know for the last 7 years I have built my life around you and I have shut people out and kept a distance because it saved me from losing someone else like I lost EZ… but, but with him back I'm being pulled back into that world and it's, it's making me see things differently," she explained, hoping she was making sense, practically pleading with Mark to understand.

Moving backwards again, Mark couldn't believe it. With what Ana had said sinking in, he was realising he was essentially to blame. If he'd never organised EZ's deal and got him out, this never would have happened.

Before he knew what he was doing Mark found himself mumbling a number of expletives more to himself than Ana, cursing himself for his fuck-up. In the midst of his rant, he hadn't realised Ana had heard him say the words, "Should've never offered him that fucking deal."

Confused, Ana spoke up. "Mark… Mark what deal? What are you talking about?"

Turning around to look at Ana now, Mark's face contorted into an expression Ana hadn't ever seen before.

 _Fuck… I've done it now…. but, wait a minute._ A thousand thoughts were running through Mark's mind now. He knew he was either going to have to come clean with Ana about EZ's deal and his part in it, or he was going to have to think of a very good lie.

But he also knew if he told Ana about EZ's deal, while she'd never forgive him, Ana would likely never allow herself to be with Angel. She'd never want to keep a secret of that magnitude from him. She'd either tell him and ruin his relationship with EZ, or she'd keep it a secret and stay away from him.

Right now, both of those options sounded pretty good to Mark.

Smirking, Mark told Ana about the whole deal in a matter of minutes. About how he'd been approached by Potter, the US attorney regarding a case against the Galindo cartel and the need for an inside man on the job and their link to the Mayans. Together, Potter and Mark agreed EZ would be the perfect informant and Mark was confident his relationship with Ana would be enough to get EZ to trust him.

"That's what got you the move up… the fucking deal… you used EZ, you put him in danger, for a fucking _promotion?!"_ Ana finally snapped back, now livid herself at the revelation that her boyfriend had used her best friend like a chest piece.

"I DID IT FOR YOU! You got your best friend back and," Mark said before Ana cut him off.

"DON'T YOU DARE ACT LIKE THIS WAS FOR ME… NO NO NO THIS WAS FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH FUCKING GAIN…..You put my best friend into an impossible situation, you dangled fucking freedom in his face and of course he was going to take it and now? Now he's in a situation I can't see him getting out of alive! HOW THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR ME MARK?! No, no this was all about you moving up the fucking ranks to the U.S. attorney spot yourself and you didn't fucking care who got in your way," Ana spat out, her anger now matching Mark's easily.

"Well neither did you seem to give a fuck about who was getting hurt when you were getting down with Angel hey?" Mark spat back, the two now inches away from each other, waiting for the other to make their move.

"Don't you fucking act like it's the same thing… I developed feelings for someone else, and I fucking came clean to you. YOU PUT MY BEST FRIEND IN DANGER AND USED HIM LIKE A PAWN!" Ana said, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Mark, now calm and collected, spoke with ease. Chuckling, "Yeah, yeah you know I don't know how he's gonna get out of that one babe and frankly? I don't give a fuck anymore. All I know is big brother Angel better not find out because I can only think of one way that's gonna go…"

Clenching her jaw, Ana found herself bawling her right hand into a fist to keep from slapping Mark.

Noticing her rage, Mark only continued egging her on. "Yeah see because we all know your boy Angel has trust issues, and I just can't imagine that he's gonna like hearing his baby brother is betraying him, right?" Gasping, Mark taunted Ana with a mock expression, "And what would he do if he found out you knew? The supposed love of his life? Picking his brother's side over his?" Whistling, Mark only looked back at Ana with a smirk as he revelled in her tears. _If I can't have her then no one else fucking can,_ he thought.

What happened next shocked both of them: Ana's open palm connected with Mark's right cheek in a slap that surely was heard throughout the entire neighbourhood.

Unsteadying him, Mark brought his hand to soothe his instantly red cheek as he looked back at Ana in shock.

"How could you be so fucking cruel?" She asked, tears now completely streaming down her face.

With his hand still on his cheek, Mark answered. "I could ask you the same thing Ana. I fucking did everything for you, and this is how you repay me? How long have you wanted him huh? How long have you just been playing house with me but wanted someone else?"

Ignoring his questions, Ana was overcome with the urge to find EZ and make sense of this whole mess.

"I'm done with this conversation. I don't owe you anything…. When I get back I want you gone. Pack your shit. I don't care where you go, but I'm done Mark," Ana said firmly, walking past Mark without a second look.

Following her through the hallway into the living room, Mark stopped before Ana opened the front door and walked out of his life for good. As angry as he was, part of him still wanted to just figure this out.

"Ana… wait… I… Ana I love you. Don't do something you're going to regret, don't walk out on me," he pleaded to her.

Letting go of the doorknob and turning around to face him, Ana cleared her throat for what she was about to say. "My only regret Mark, is that I should've done this much fucking sooner."

And with that Ana walked out of the door and into the open, practically running to her car with tears still streaming down her face, with a plan to track EZ down and figure out what was going on.

* * *

 **Author's note – That's chapter 10 guys!**

 **I'm sorry: no Angel and Ana in this one but considering what happened I'm hoping you understand why that is.**

 **Thank you so much for being patient with me and this chapter update, I am so so grateful.**

 **I promise I'll aim to upload the next chapter within a week, as I've been having random daydreams about Angel and Ana and I cannot WAIT to put them into the story.**

 **So please, continue to review if you already do so and if you don't please start! It motivates me so much hearing all your thoughts, good or bad and helps speed the writing process along!**

 **Thank you :)**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's note: Hi again guys and Happy New Year! Sorry for not updating sooner, turns out with my car breaking down twice, work, Christmas and New Years I haven't had as much time to write as planned. But I'm back!**_

 _ **Thank you for being patient, hope you enjoy this update and that you all had an amazing holiday season.**_

 _ **Considering it's been a minute since I uploaded, if you could please post a review with your thoughts/letting me know you're still interested in the story that'd be amazing! Thank you as always!**_

* * *

Ana practically knocked the door down to EZ's house once she finally got there, the anger from her conversation with Mark finally starting to somewhat settle. But she was far from thinking clearly.

The entire way over she'd been replaying the conversation in her mind with a million different thoughts fighting for control. _Does Felipe know? How has EZ been handling it? How will she keep this from Angel? What the hell would Angel do if he ever found out?_

But above everything, her biggest concern right now? Making sure EZ was okay. She knew how sensitive her best friend was, and above all else knew he would only ever want to protect the ones he loves. She could only imagine how hard it's been for him having to keep this secret, and having to go against Angel.

Ana was so lost in her thoughts it took her a moment to realise EZ had opened the door, and was staring back at her looking completely confused.

Noticing her erratic behaviour immediately, EZ went into protective mode.

"Ana? What's the matter? You alright?" He asked, grabbing both her arms as he searched her face for an answer.

Now that she was in his presence, Ana found herself being able to somewhat settle her nerves. She was with EZ now and she could get to the bottom of whatever was going on.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm… is there somewhere we can talk EZ?" Ana finally said, not wanting to stay out in the open as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah of course, come inside. Dad's at the shop so we're alone," he answered, pulling her into the hallway and closing the door behind her. Looking up at him, Ana found herself dropping fresh tears as she saw EZ in his prospect cut.

"You were… you were with the club earlier?" She asked hesitantly, not knowing how she was going to break to him everything that just happened.

Confused, EZ looked down at his chest before looking back at her. "Yeah… had a meeting and then just had to do some random shit with Angel… Ana? What's the matter? You're starting to scare me."

"A lot of things! A lot of things are fucking the matter EZ and I just don't know where to start!" Ana confessed, now completely sobbing, she couldn't control herself any longer.

Pulling her into a hug, EZ rested his head on top of hers as he tried calming her down, running his hand down her back. "Ana, breathe okay? I'm sure whatever it is we can deal with it, you just gotta tell me what's happened…." He said, pulling slightly away from her so that she was looking up at him.

"Mark and I broke up," Anna blurted out, not knowing how to actually bring up the bigger issue, the fact he was a rat, the fact that her now ex-boyfriend made him a rat. Part of her hope EZ would be able to put the two together from how she was acting. She didn't want to have to say it herself, she was afraid even though she understood why he chose to become an informant, that no matter how she said it, it'd just sound like she was judging him.

Scrunching his face up in confusion, EZ didn't know what to think. As far as he knew Mark and Ana were solid. Sure, they were disagreeing about the move, but he didn't think they were on the verge of breaking up. Did Angel have something to do with this?

But then, after looking into Ana's eye for a moment longer and seeing her searching for an answer from him, a sinking feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. It seemed like Ana's hopes he would piece things together came true.

But EZ didn't want to have to admit it. Aside from Angel, Ana was the last person he wanted to find out about this. Much like for Angel, Ana was EZ's centre, the person he confided in the most and the one who would always make him see reason. This also mean that in times where he was battling with himself, or knew he was doing something wrong that she wouldn't shy away from telling him so. The woman had no fear or issues in telling it like it is, she'd even let you hate her for it. It was one of the things he loved most about her.

With the silence now having gone on way too long, Ana felt she had to break it. Moving out of EZ's hold, Ana moved over to the couch to sit down. Her nerves now coming back up, her legs were bouncing up and down as she clasped her hands together to stop them from visibly shaking.

"I guess it's no secret that him and I have been disagreeing about moving to DC… which you of course knew. But there was something that I wasn't telling you," she said, now looking up at him, biting her nails.

"Oh?" EZ asked, his head quirking to the right as he moved to sit next to Ana. _Maybe she doesn't know, he thought._

Taking a deep breath, Ana decided to finally admit to her feelings for Angel to EZ. Recently, she figured not admitting it to him would make it as if they weren't real, as if she could deny them a little longer, just long enough for them to go down on their own. But the reality was she wanted Angel more than she ever wanted anyone or anything and while it's taken her some time to realise, now that she has things from her past has started to add up. Like why she was always much harder on him than EZ, why she was always jealous of any girl he looked at, why it took her so long to introduce him to Mark and why she never wanted to tell him about the move. It was always Angel, she was just in a very severe state of denial.

Now that she was aware of her own feelings for Angel, and his for her, knowing what she knew about EZ left her in a very comprising position. Because while she would never betray EZ's trust, she just didn't know if that meant she could ever start something with Angel knowing what she knew.

"So… you know ever since you got out, I've been spending more time with Angel too. I don't know when you were inside EZ we drifted, I guess. I don't know we were still there for each other but it got hard to be around each other, especially once Mark and I got serious and we just… anyways the point is," Ana paused, taking a deep breath before being cut off by EZ.

"The point is you and Angel have feelings for each other?" EZ said, so easily and as if he had known this for years. Turning her head swiftly to look at him, she was met with a sly smile and for a second, she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders, and a chuckle reluctantly escaped her lips.

"That obvious huh?" She asked, taking a moment to just be a girl talking to her best friend about the guy she liked because she knew it would only last a moment. "Yeah well having grown up with you two, kinda figured it was bound to happen at some point," EZ admitted, wiping a stray tear from Ana's cheek as he did so.

"But I know you also really loved Mark, he did a lot for you, he was there for everything. I know you have to feel awful for ending it… I'm assuming he didn't take it too well?" EZ asked, bracing himself for her answer. If he knew Mark even just a little, he wouldn't be surprised if he told her about the deal to hurt her, or threaten her into staying somehow.

Getting up from the sofa now, Ana found herself pacing back and forth. She couldn't avoid the topic any longer, it was time to just confront EZ head on. She knew they were both dancing around it.

"Yeah uh, you could say that… he um… he told me EZ. About the deal?" She practically blurted out, turning around the face EZ.

Even though he knew it was coming it still hit him like a ton of bricks, hearing Ana say it. He had no idea what this meant for their friendship, for her relationship with Angel, for his standing with the club.

Standing up himself now, EZ walked over to Ana slowly. "Ana, you gotta understand okay? I had no choice okay? I got out from practically a death sentence okay that is what my deal was. Sure I could've got out when I was 40 but what good would that be that? My life would've been over by then. But now… now I have another shot and I know that it's fucking complicated and that if Angel ever found out that he'd fucking kill me but I just…. I had no other option. I am so sorry that you found out that way, that you found out at all! But I am begging you, you can't say anything." EZ explained, by the time he finished talking he was right in front of Ana, holding his hands in hers and pleading with her.

While he knew he could trust her and that she'd never intentionally hurt him, this was no ordinary situation. It was hard enough convincing his dad to keep it a secret, Ana was a whole other ballgame especially now that she was on the verge of starting something up with Angel. Which brother's side would she choose?

Her gaze softening, Ana found her tears building again and she had to pull EZ into a hug to stop him from seeing her cry. Speaking into his chest, she held on to him tight and he her.

"Of course, I will keep it a secret EZ… I would never betray you, I just… I just needed to hear it from you and I – "She paused, pulling her head back to look up at him, her hands now on either side of his face. "I understand why you took the deal, hell I probably would've done the same fucking thing. I just, am so sorry that my stupid ex is the one who manipulated you into this. I feel like it's my fault," she admitted.

"What? Fuck no… Ana, I am a grown ass man. I knew what I was getting into. Even if it wasn't Mark who offered me the deal, I would've taken it. I was dying in there, I needed out," EZ said, pulling Ana into another tight hug as she quietly sobbed.

While he didn't say it right away, EZ was grateful Ana understood his choice, but he was afraid she wasn't really aware of just how hard it would be to keep this from his brother.

Having now separated and sat back on the couch, EZ's hands in hers, he asked her, "Ana I gotta know, are you gonna be able to keep this from Angel? Because he can't find out… if he ever did… I just – "

"I know EZ. I know. And no, I won't say anything, it would do him no good to know. But EZ how long is this gonna go for? What for the rest of your life? What is the endgame?" Ana asked.

"It's just until I help them take down Galindo and then I'm out." EZ said abruptly.

"Out?" Ana asked, confused.

Pausing before answering, EZ knew sharing the rest of his plan would be just as hard for Ana to hear. "Out of it all, the deal, the club, Santo Padre. I'm just gonna leave, start new. I can't stay here forever. Between mom's murder and this whole thing, I just can't stay here anymore. I need a fresh start."

Now Ana found herself replacing her sadness and confusion with another emotion: anger. "So, so what? You're just gonna leave? Abandon the club, Angel, your dad… me?" She asked, moving her hands away before continuing.

"We just got you back Ezekiel. You can't just abandon us…" she said, her voice quivering.

With tears forming in his eyes now, EZ grabbed Ana's hands and brought them back into his lap. He knew that once he told her his plan to eventually leave that she'd beg him to stay. But he needed a fresh start.

"Ana hey, I would never abandon you. You're my best friend, my girl, the pain in the butt sister I never had," he joked, earning a rolling of eyes and chuckle from the woman sitting next to him. "I'll still be around whenever you need me just. I need to see more than what I have and I don't want to be in the MC forever. It isn't me."

Taking a deep breath, Anna squeezed EZ's hands. "Yeah… I know, I just. I don't like the idea of you leaving me," she admitted, letting her best friend see a rare moment of weakness. Ana liked to keep her cards pretty close to her chest.

"Well hey, at least you'll have Angel now?" EZ joked, giving Ana a slight nudge. Now that the hard part of the conversation was done, he wanted to figure out what in the hell was going on with his best friend and his brother. _Shit, I'm gonna have to make sure Angel doesn't fuck this up, he thought._

"Well honestly, nothing. I can't start anything up with Angel knowing what I know. It's gonna be hard enough keeping this from him now, if I started something up with him? I couldn't do it EZ…." Ana admitted, not wanting to make him feel bad but also not being able to lie.

Unfortunately, EZ was immediately hit with a wave of guilt. He knew how much Angel loved Ana. She was the only girl who ever had his attention, the man would die and kill for her. And for Ana? While she's only just realising it, EZ always knew she looked up to Angel in a way she never did with anyone else, they always had the potential for something more they just never got the timing right. And of course, now that they have, he had to fuck it up he thought.

"Fuck Ana please, don't do this on account of me alright? You deserve to be happy, so does Angel. Don't waste another second not being with him!" He tried to reason, but he knew it was a lost cause and he understood why.

"EZ come on? Seriously? You know I'm right… I can't just start something and keep a bomb like this from him. Could you imagine if he ever found out? Does Felipe know too?" Ana asked, only just now thinking of the Reyes father.

"Yeah pops knows…" EZ admitted.

"Right, so could you imagine if somehow Angel found out, it would be his brother keeping a secret from him and his girlfriend and dad knowing too. He'd never forgive any of us. At least, at least it'd be a little bit less of a sting if we weren't together," Ana reasoned.

Realising she was right, EZ decided there was no point arguing. So he moved on to his next question. "So what are you gonna tell him? About you and Mark. You know he's gonna think it means you wanna be with him?"

"Well I mean he wouldn't be wrong. But I'll just, tell him I'm not ready for a relationship, and that his friendship is too important to risk. He'll be mad but… he'll accept it, eventually."

Giving her a small smile, EZ wasn't so sure but he didn't want to worry Ana any more than he already had. So instead, the two best friends just sat together in silence for a while, trying to process this new information and figure out what that meant for them and their friendship.

* * *

 _ **Author's note:**_

 _ **And that's chapter 11 guys! Thanks again so very much for being patient with me, I know I was meant to upload a lot sooner and I am so sorry. Life just gets busy sometimes I guess! Aha.**_

 _ **As mentioned before, if you could please review and let me know that you're still interested in the story/your thoughts on this chapter and what you want to see IT WOULD HELP ME GREATLY in updating sooner and more frequently.**_

 _ **Thanks guys :)**_


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